Under thunder, lightning and torrential rain that stopped the match for half an hour, a graceful Germany got the better of a Denmark that was determined, supported by their goalkeeper Schmeichel until the second half. Luis de la Fuente’s Spain already knows that if they beat Georgia on Sunday they will have to face the hosts in Stuttgart.
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Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, David Raum (Benjamin Henrichs, min. 79), Antonio Rüdiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, Toni Kroos, Jamal Musiala (Florian Wirtz, min. 80), Robert Andrich (Emre Can, min. 63), Leroy Sané (Waldemar Anton, min. 87), Ilkay Gündogan (Niclas Füllkrug, min. 64) and Kai Havertz
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Kasper Schmeichel, Joachim Andersen, Jannik Vestergaard, Andreas Christensen (Jacob Bruun Larsen, min. 80), Joakim Mæhle, Alexander Bah (Victor Kristiansen, min. 80), Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Thomas Delaney (Christian Nørgaard, min. 68) , Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Højlund (Jonas Wind, min. 80) and Andreas Skov Olsen (Yussuf Poulsen, min. 68)
Goals 1-0 min. 52: Kai Havertz. 2-0 min. 67: Jamal Musiala
Referee Michael Oliver
Yellow cards Joachim Andersen (min. 56), Joakim Maehle (min. 59)
The first storm to break loose was Germany, which started off with a storm. With Andrich alongside Kroos, Gündogan freed up and Raum, Kimmich, Musiala and Sané attacking the flanks, the German players matched their initial attack with the flashing lightning bolts that split the dark clouds that were threateningly approaching in the litany of the Westfalenstadion roof.
Within a quarter of an hour, Germany had a goal disallowed from a corner by Scholotteberg for a previous tackle by Kimmich and Schmeichel Jr. recalled those nights when his father, Peter, made himself seem unbeatable. He flew past a hard shot from Kimmich, headed a poisoned ball past Havertz and volleyed it well across the goal line. Germany was a whirlwind and its enthusiastic fans cheered with delight as the lightning turned to thunder. The first one that broke sharp and sharp did indeed shock the fans. It coincided with the lowering of the revolutions of the steamroller that Germany had been for a quarter of an hour.
Jamal Musiala scores the second goal for Germany. Thilo Schmuelgen (REUTERS)
A long cross ball from Andersen to Eriksen turned it into a very fine maneuver. Cradling the ball with the outside of his boot also helped him pass Rüdiger and sew a shot that the Madrid center back was able to deflect due to his quick reaction. The play gave way to a Denmark that set the pace better against a stunned Germany. The duel entered a valley zone of high pace and little artillery while the sky darkened and lit by thunder was already settling on the roof of the coliseum. A storm was approaching and it was unleashed with a torrential downpour that forced the referee to stop the match in the 35th minute. The deluge became biblical with two waterfalls that fell from the corners of one of the covers as a picture for the posterity of this Eurocup. The players and the refereeing team disappeared through the mouth of the locker room to take shelter from the storm while only a few brave people among the public did not run towards the covered stands or towards the vomitories. There, during the half hour that the match was stopped, fans of both teams took the opportunity to stock up on beer while Europe’s Life is Life pastry chef played over the stadium’s public address system.
With no sign of the thunderstorm in the sky and the clouds already squeezed to the limit, the match resumed. Germany wanted to repeat their initial cyclone and Havertz headed in a good Raum curler. Of course, Schmeichel’s chest was perfectly placed. Denmark responded with a dizzying transition after a bad pass from Sané. Eriksen made it academic with a first touch that sent Delaney running to stand on the edge of the area and assist the brave Hojlund. The latter, who forced a point, could barely get his boot under the ball for a chip that Neuer deflected.
Danish players Kasper Schmeichel and Christian Eriksen after the match and being eliminated from Euro 2024. Wolfgang Rattay (REUTERS)
The break brought another punishing Germany that was startled when center back Andersen caught a loose ball from a pile-up after a corner kick and beat Neuer with a low and cross left footed shot. The VAR declared him offside and condemned him twice in the following action. A Raum cross hit him on the hand. The referee did not see it, but the video referee did detect it. Havertz did not forgive. With the goal, the second storm of German football was unleashed. Havertz himself, with that stride that was as elegant as it was powerful, stood up to Schmeichel twice. As a classy player that he is, he wanted to finish with subtle touches that he missed by half an inch. It was Musiala who established the final second goal. It was in one of those sequences that the new paradigm encourages when the team trying to play from behind breaks the pressure with a pass that crosses lines and finds the free man ready to run into the open field. Musiala did not fail. Spain, if it accounts for Georgia, should take note.
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2024-06-29 22:18:32
#Lightning #thunder #storm #Germany #Denmark #Euro #Cup #Germany
