Hosts Germany advance to Euro 2024 quarter-finals after 2-0 win over Denmark

Euro 2024 hosts Germany advanced to the quarter-finals of the tournament after beating Denmark 2-0 in a thrilling encounter at the BVB Stadium in Dortmund on Saturday.

The start of the match was delayed midway through the first half as lightning and heavy rain forced the players off the pitch for around 25 minutes.

Second-half goals by Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala – a candidate for the tournament’s best player award – gave Die Mannschaft advanced to the next round, defeating a brave Danish team that seemed much better than in the group stage.

After the first half ended in a goalless draw, after a crazy start to the second period, Denmark disallowed the goal and within a few minutes awarded a penalty, with Havertz scoring from the penalty spot to give Germany the lead.

The lead doubled in the 68th minute when Musiala found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and confidently slotted the ball into the goal, sending the home fans into a frenzy.

It was a disappointing evening for the Danish team, which fought bravely but weakened in the final stages of the match and were unable to break the deadlock.

Germany will face either Spain or Georgia in the quarterfinals.

Drama in Dortmund

Denmark started the match and have yet to win a single match in the tournament, after drawing every Group C match against Slovenia, England and Denmark and scoring just two goals in those three matches. The lack of attacking attack was evident in the early stages of the match as the Germans dominated possession and rained down shots on the Danish goal.

The tournament hosts thought they had opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Nico Schlotterbeck rose highest to head in a corner kick, but referee Michael Oliver disallowed the goal after Joshua Kimmich was penalized for blocking Andreas Skov Olsen, which allowed Schlotterbeck to free up and point your head. .

The Germans continued their fast start. Kimmich saved the ball from distance in Schmeichel’s hands, and then the Danish goalkeeper headed another ball towards the post from Schlotterbeck.

However, the Danes got into the game and Christian Eriksen’s shot was blocked and winger Joakim Mæhle raced down the left wing before recklessly firing wide.

Both teams posed a threat on the counter-attack and the first half saw a close game, but the flow of the game was disrupted when the referee suspended proceedings due to adverse weather conditions.

Both teams returned to the pitch after a 25-minute delay, and the match resumed after around 36 minutes. The stormy conditions seemed to add even more life to an already electrifying affair.

Havertz crossed into the air for David Raum but the Arsenal striker headed it straight at Schmeichel and moments later Schlotterbeck headed it again but the ball flew wide.

The defender then saved his face in the second penalty area after passing the ball to Rasmus Højlund, but the striker only hit the side netting.

The second half started similarly chaotically, after a few minutes the Dane Joachim Andersen survived the storm. The defender thought he had scored his first international goal when he put the ball into the net following confusion in the penalty area, but the video assistant referee (VAR) disallowed the goal due to an extremely tight offside in the build-up.

Andersen’s misfortune worsened when VAR penalised him for handball in his own penalty area, and Havertz converted the penalty to give Germany the lead in the 53rd minute.

Havertz squandered a golden opportunity to double the lead moments later when he found himself one-on-one with Schmeichel, but he was not to be regretted as Musiala found the back of the net a few minutes later.

The second goal was a devastating blow to Denmark, who had threatened to spoil the party on several occasions but had run out of steam towards the end of the match.

The Germans experienced a fierce and sometimes tense competition, but the hosts could be well on their way to triumphing at the European Championships on home soil.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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