Fans of the Mannschaft celebrate Germany’s victory over Denmark in the round of 16 of Euro 2024 at the fan zone in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin, June 29, 2024. CHRISTOPH SOEDER / AP
Julian Nagelsmann has had the opportunity to repeat it before and since the start of Euro 2024 football: he does not want the German team to be judged solely on its result in the tournament. To listen to the coach, this would almost be secondary. What matters most, he insists, is the ability of his group to thrill the supporters of the host country, disillusioned by lean years in major international competitions.
It is not time to take stock, the Mannschaft still has – at worst – a quarter-final to play, Friday July 5, in Stuttgart, against a Spain that has been formidable since the start of this European Nations Championship and that it has not beaten in an official match since 1988. The possibility of seeing the adventure of the locals end at the final whistle exists. The fact remains that in some respects, Julian Nagelsmann and his men have already won. Because since 2016, the German selection had not reached the top 8 of a major event. Because it seems to have conquered the hearts of its compatriots.
Their fervour during the round of 16 match on June 29 against Denmark (2-0) would almost have surprised Nico Schlotterbeck. “We had crazy fans behind us again. The stadium shook.” The defender is no stranger to heated atmospheres: he plays for Borussia Dortmund (BVB), whose fans are one of the most ardent in the German championship. “I’m used to seeing this [en club]but not with the selection”, he said, all smiles, at the end of this duel at Signal Iduna Park, home of his BVB. “We have started something in the country.”
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That evening was as electric as the stormy sky that hung over the Ruhr area. His teammate Joshua Kimmich, 29 years old and with 90 caps under his belt, admitted that he had not experienced anything like it since the start of the tournament. And he did not know that at that precise moment, 500 kilometres away, nearly 100,000 people were exulting in the two fan zones in the capital Berlin. Shouting, dancing, applauding.
“An incredible feeling”
After the match against Hungary (2-0) on June 19, Julian Nagelsmann had already expressed his satisfaction with the popular support. He was delighted, among other things, to have attended a rally in front of the Mannschaft hotel in Stuttgart. “A lot of people accompanied us when we got on the bus.he said. It’s an incredible feeling. We’ve seen videos of fans celebrating on the streets of Hamburg. These are things that touch you emotionally.”
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2024-07-05 12:00:11
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