The scene of the previous day
Goals usually decide the outcome of a game. But sometimes non-goals do too. UEFA has not communicated how many millimetres Denmark’s Thomas Delaney was offside before the non-0:1. On the official images of the video evidence, only the tip of a foot could be seen, if at all. “We’re talking about one centimetre. Can that really be the unequivocal truth? Can the time of the pass be determined so precisely?” Denmark’s coach Kasper Hjulmand quibbled after the game with the calibrated line and fate. The Danes’ goal did not count, but less than a minute later there was a video evidence handball penalty that tipped the game in Germany’s favour. Not an undeserved victory, but one with generous support from cold technology. Otherwise, things were pretty heated in Dortmund: “At times things took on delirious characteristics,” writes Oliver Fritsch from the stadium. And look at this image, everything is just right.
The German national team celebrates goal scorer Kai Havertz. © Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
The game of the day
Spain against Georgia (9 p.m., ARD). A round of 16 match that we can look forward to without reservation. Because this is where Germany’s quarter-final opponent will be determined. And because two fascinating but completely different teams will meet: the most precise and the most passionate. Thanks to good training and the ball possession philosophy that they have been taught from an early age, Spain’s players never fall below a minimum level, so it almost doesn’t matter who plays. This year, the system, which used to lack pace, is getting an update with the nimble wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal. The Georgians, on the other hand, are the new Icelanders. They have already counterattacked their way into the hearts of Europe. A Georgian victory would be one of the biggest sensations in European Championship history – and somehow you even think they can do it. Also because coach Willy Sagnol tells his players things like this: “When you have the ball, remember what it was like when you were 17 or 18, when you didn’t think. Do exactly that.”
The rest of the game:
England–Slovakia (6 p.m., ZDF)
Will Georgia pull off another surprise against Spain? © Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Who will be important today?
Phil Foden. The Englishman recently left the European Championship camp for a short time. His wife had their third child together. It’s quite possible that the next influencer was born. Foden’s four-year-old son Ronnie already has four million followers on Instagram and impresses with videos of bouncy castles and puppy yoga. Now Foden is back, and he and his English team could use a little inspiration. The English have played the most boring football of the tournament so far. Phil Foden, who is hard to stop in his Manchester City jersey, has also not done much for the national team so far. He should still be enough for Slovakia. But if it’s all over for England soon, parents in particular should be happy. Foden’s bowl cut is the worst hairstyle role model since Ronaldo in 2002.
Phrase of the day
“Go Pepinazo!”
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(What a big cucumber!, Spanish)
In German, the word cucumber has a rather negative connotation. People squirm around, and if a player misses the target by a long way, then the shot was a cucumber. In Spanish, the vegetable apparently has a better reputation. A really great long-range shot is compared to a giant cucumber.
Who is already European Champion?
Aurelie Bories. A Frenchwoman, of course, in pétanque. This version of boules fuels ultimate Mediterranean fantasies: At sunset with a straw hat on her head in a small town in Provence with a few quirky grandfathers Competing for maximum nonchalance. Rosé in the right hand and Gauloises in the left, and somehow throwing the balls, the gravel crunching under your shoes. With Aurelie Bories, everything certainly looked more professional; this year in Switzerland she became European champion in the women’s individual competition, the so-called tête-à-tête. It’s really called that.
The magic balls: a game of pétanque, a glass of pastis and hanging out with French grandpas © Miguel Medina/Getty Images
What was the quote of the day?
“We know we can beat anyone. But we also know we can be beaten.”
(Joshua Kimmich sums it up.)
Goals usually decide the outcome of a game. But sometimes non-goals do too. UEFA has not communicated how many millimetres Denmark’s Thomas Delaney was offside before the non-0:1. On the official images of the video evidence, only the tip of a foot could be seen, if at all. “We’re talking about one centimetre. Can that really be the unequivocal truth? Can the time of the pass be determined so precisely?” Denmark’s coach Kasper Hjulmand quibbled after the game with the calibrated line and fate. The Danes’ goal did not count, but less than a minute later there was a video evidence handball penalty that tipped the game in Germany’s favour. Not an undeserved victory, but one with generous support from cold technology. Otherwise, things were pretty heated in Dortmund: “At times things took on delirious characteristics,” writes Oliver Fritsch from the stadium. And look at this image, everything is just right.
