Germany 2-0 Denmark: Talking points as Euro hosts book quarterfinal spot

Euro 2024 hosts Germany faced Denmark in the round of 16 of the competition at Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park on Saturday evening, and they successfully overcame the first hurdle in the knockout stage, courtesy of goals from Kai Havertz from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute and Jamal Musiala in the 68th.

The teams

Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann arranged his team in a 4-3-3 formation, with Manuel Neuer in goal, Antonio Rudiger forming a centre-back partnership with Nico Schlotterbeck, flanked by Joshua Kimmich and David Raum. Toni Kroos, Robert Andrich and Ilkay Gundogad were in the middle of the park, while Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala supported Kai Havertz upfront.

Meanwhile, Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand went with his usual 3-4-3 system. Joachim Andersen, Andreas Christensen and Jannik Vestergaard formed the back line in front of Kasper Schmeichel in goal. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Thomas Delaney paired up in midfield, with Alexander Bah and Joakim Maehle covering the flanks. Rasmus Hojlund was tasked with leading the attacking line, with Christian Eriksen and Andreas Skov Olsen in support.

The first half

Germany completely dominated the opening quarter of the match, and they even put the ball in the back of Schmeichel’s net in the fourth minute through Schlotterbeck, but referee Michael Oliver from England ruled the goal out, deeming Kimmich to have committed a foul in an attempt to open some space up for the Dortmund centre-back. Schmeichel had several top-level saves in that period, most notably from a long range effort from Musiala.

But Denmark gradually broke the hosts’ initiative and got a lot more into the contest as time went on, creating a couple of promising moments themselves.

With 35 minutes gone, a thunderstorm engulfed Dortmund and a strong rain, briefly mixed with ice as well, came pouring down, prompting Oliver to stop the play “due to adverse weather conditions”. It was uncertain if the match would…

Source link : https://www.soccernews.com/germany-2-0-denmark-talking-points-as-euro-hosts-book-quarterfinal-spot/373261/

Author : Veselin Trajkovic

Publish date : 2024-06-29 22:01:06

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