Host Germany advanced to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 after a 2-0 victory 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 Stadion 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 The Mannschaft to the next round, beating a brave Danish team that seemed much better since the group stage.

The first half ended goalless, but Denmark had a goal disallowed in the second half and within minutes it went to a penalty. Havertz converted the penalty to give Germany the lead.

The lead doubled in the 68th minute when Musiała found himself in a one-on-one situation with goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who calmly shot into the net and left the fans delighted.

It was a disappointing evening for the Danish team, who fought bravely but faltered 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 without winning a single match at the tournament, drawing all of its Group C matches against Slovenia, England and Denmark and scoring only two goals in those three matches. The lack of attacking options was evident early on as the Germans dominated possession and peppered the Danish goal with shots.

The tournament hosts thought they had opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Nico Schlotterbeck rose highest to head the ball into the net from a corner kick, but referee Michael Oliver disallowed the goal after Joshua Kimmich was booked for blocking Andreas Skov Olsen’s shot, allowing Schlotterbeck to break free and head the ball home.

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 looked dangerous on the counter-attack, which took the game to extra time in the first half, but the flow of the match was interrupted when the referee suspended proceedings due to unfavorable 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 met David Raum’s cross in the air but the Arsenal striker’s header went straight at Schmeichel, and Schlotterbeck saw another header deflect wide shortly afterwards.

The defender had no more shame in the opponent’s penalty area as he passed the ball to Rasmus Højlund, but the striker could only hit the side netting.

The second half began in similar disarray, with Dane Joachim Andersen storming in after a few minutes. The defender thought he had scored his first international goal when he headed the ball into the net after a mix-up in the penalty area, but the video assistant referee (VAR) disallowed the goal due to a particularly tight offside in the build-up.

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

Havertz wasted a golden opportunity to double the lead moments later when he was one-on-one with Schmeichel, but he didn’t have to regret his mistake as Musiala found the net a few minutes later.

The second goal was a crushing blow for Denmark, who had repeatedly threatened to spoil the party but ran out of steam towards the end.

It was a close and tense match for the Germans, but perhaps the hosts are well on their way to Euro triumph on home soil.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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