In the opinion of record national player Lothar Matthäus, national coach Julian Nagelsmann should put Jonathan Tah back in the starting line-up for the quarter-final against Spain. “Nico Schlotterbeck did a good job against Denmark, but Tah did everything right before and had an outstanding season in Leverkusen,” wrote the 63-year-old in his Sky column. “That’s why I believe in a central defense with Tah and Antonio Rüdiger.” Tah had served a yellow card suspension in the round of 16 against Denmark (2-0) and Dortmund’s Schlotterbeck replaced him in the center of defense.
Leipzig’s David Raum also started at left back against the Danes for the first time in this tournament. Stuttgart’s Maximilian Mittelstädt “played an excellent season,” said Matthäus. However, Raum is “the more robust and dynamic type of player who has improved enormously in defense, who crosses better and, in my opinion, makes a better impression,” continued the 1990 World Champion, “especially against the speed that the Spaniards have on the wing.”
Jonathan Tah was absent from the round of 16 due to a yellow card suspension
Source: Getty Images/Alexander Hassenstein
He sees “certain parallels between Spain and Germany,” explained Matthäus. “Both have similar strengths in attack, but also weaknesses, especially after losing the ball.” On Friday in Stuttgart, “two teams on equal terms” will meet. “Germany has no need to hide from Spain. In the end, nuances will decide. I’m predicting a penalty shootout and as a patriot I say Germany will advance.”
17:15: European Football Championship gives ZDF its best month in 30 years
The European Football Championship is generating record viewing figures for German TV channels, especially the public broadcasters. Thanks to the tournament, the market share for the month of June for ARD and ZDF is higher than it has been for decades.
also read
ZDF increased its market share by five percentage points to 18.8 percent compared to the previous month. According to the media service “Meedia”, the Mainz-based broadcaster has not been this successful since July 1994. The 15.5 percent of the first was also last seen in 2016 and before that in 1998. This represents an increase of 3.7 percentage points compared to May. ARD and ZDF were able to gain particularly in the target group of 14 to 49 year olds.
ARD increased by 7.3 percentage points to 15.3 percent, while ZDF doubled its share by 9.8 percentage points to 16.4 percent. The private broadcaster RTL also scored points, particularly with the round of 16 match between Switzerland and Italy. There it achieved new record figures with 7.7 million viewers and a 60 percent market share.
also read
2:14 p.m.: More than 4,600 offensive posts on social media
During the group stage, UEFA had 4,656 social media posts with offensive, racist or homophobic content reviewed. Posts on platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok were monitored that were directed against players, coaches, officials and other participants in the final round. 71 percent of these “abusive posts were tracked by the platforms,” UEFA said.
Around 94 percent of the flagged posts contained general insults. Furthermore, 4.5 percent of the posts reviewed contained racist abuse and 1.5 percent homophobic abuse. In most cases (74 percent), players were the victims. 15 percent of the messages reviewed were directed against the coaches, seven percent against the teams and around 4 percent against the referees. The national teams most affected were the Belgian, Croatian, Ukrainian and Dutch teams.
13:33: Police union – No 100% security at the European Championships
After the latest security glitch at the European Football Championship, the police union is calling on the federal and state governments to invest more in the security authorities. “If politicians do not properly equip the security authorities, politicians cannot expect that 100 percent security will be guaranteed at such events,” said the vice-chairman of the German police union, Heiko Teggatz, to the dpa.
During the European Championship round of 16 match between Germany and Denmark on Saturday evening, a masked man with a backpack climbed under the roof of the Dortmund stadium during the game.
also read
12:39 p.m.: Targeted shot at motorcade – suspected perpetrator identified
In Tuttlingen (Baden-Württemberg), a participant in a motorcade following Romania’s victory over Slovakia was shot through the open window of a house. The police have now arrested the suspected perpetrator.
Read the full text here:
also read
11:57 am: Capello calls Italy’s national coach “arrogant”
After the embarrassing performance in the round of 16 defeat against Switzerland, criticism of national coach Luciano Spalletti is growing in Italy. Long-time coach Fabio Capello accuses the 65-year-old of having gone into the tournament “arrogantly” and of not having prepared himself for the peculiarities of being national coach. Spalletti “didn’t think like a national team coach, but like a club coach,” Capello told the “Gazzetta dello Sport”. “They are two different jobs.”
The former England and Russia national coach said he was “a little ashamed” of the performance in the 2-0 defeat in the round of 16 in Berlin. Spalletti had failed to adapt his thinking to the existing players and create a team spirit. “The first task of a national coach is to create a common spirit, which is essential when it comes to running an extra metre to help a team mate,” said Capello. “I have seen very few Italian players make that extra run, that decisive step.”
11:15 a.m.: Bellingham justifies his obscene gesture
Jude Bellingham saves the English team from being eliminated from the European Championships with an overhead kick. He celebrates the dream goal with a rather special celebration. Football fans see this as a disrespectful gesture towards the Slovakian bench. Bellingham defends himself against the criticism.
Read the full text here:
also read
10:27 a.m.: Dutchman Weghorst leaves Hoffenheim
Wout Weghorst will leave 1899 Hoffenheim after the end of his loan. As the Bundesliga club announced, the Dutch international is returning to Premier League relegated club Burnley FC after one year. Weghorst came to Kraichgau in August 2023. The 31-year-old striker played 28 Bundesliga games for TSG last season and scored seven goals.
Weghorst has played in all of the Dutch team’s matches at the European Championships so far and has scored one goal. The Dutch will face Romania in the round of 16 on Tuesday.
9:38 a.m.: Mats Hummels in talks as replacement for Jonathan Tah
Apparently, champions Bayer Leverkusen are considering Mats Hummels. According to Kicker, there are speculations about the 35-year-old, whose contract with BVB was not renewed despite a strong second half of the season. Hummels is said to be a replacement for international player Jonathan Tah, who is said to have reached an agreement with FC Bayern Munich. Tah is a regular in the German defense at the European Championships, but missed the last sixteen match against Denmark due to a yellow card suspension.
Mats Hummels is currently without a club
Source: dpa/Robert Michael
As a leader and a good communicator, Hummels could fit into coach Xabi Alonso’s possession-based football. He recently responded to speculation about his professional future with humor. “It’s difficult to find a jersey for a sport that doesn’t result in stupid rumors,” the 35-year-old defender recently wrote in an Instagram story.
Hummels had already been linked with Spanish first division football club RCD Mallorca. In Italy, it was said that he would move to AS Roma or AC Milan in Serie A.
8:47 a.m.: New record ratings on German TV
The number of TV viewers continues to rise after the preliminary round. On Sunday, an average of 14.318 million people watched the Spanish national team’s 4:1 win against Georgia in the round of 16 on ARD. The broadcast had a market share of 50.9 percent. It was the most successful European Championship broadcast to date without German participation.
The English team’s victory against Slovakia late on Sunday afternoon had already topped the best figure of the preliminary round for the match between Spain and Italy (13.042 million). The 2:1 in extra time was watched by an average of 13.386 million from 6 p.m. onwards. ZDF thus achieved a market share of 52.3 percent. The figures do not include fans who watched games at public viewings, on the Internet or on Telekom.
With this spectacular overhead kick, Bellingham saves England from elimination
The English national team made a dramatic save and made it to the quarter-finals. In the fifth minute of injury time, Jude Bellingham scored a spectacular overhead kick to equalize against Slovakia. Watch his goal in the video here.
All games of the home European Championship at a glance:
Schedule of the European Championship 2024 with all results
European Championship schedule as PDF to print
