The DFB squad learns again in the roll of thunder
For the first time since the EURO 2016, the German football national team is in a quarterfinal at a major tournament. The team led by national coach Julian Nagelsmann had to overcome some obstacles - and remained difficult to grasp even after the game ended.
At the end, it all culminated in a crazy five-minute journey. Joy, ecstasy, disappointment, anger: A few hundred seconds in the German home European Championship's eighteenth-finale are enough to tell these emotions. The German football national team advances to the quarterfinals for the first time in eight years with a 2:0 success over Denmark. On an evening filled with many stories, some remain particularly memorable. There are thunderous natural disasters that cause interruptions, or the use of the latest technology, which completely changes the course of the game.
It could have all turned out differently. At 10:30 pm, the ball suddenly lands in the DFB team's goal. The Danes cheer, the goal music starts playing, defender Joachim Andersen turns to celebrate. Suddenly, it's 1:0 for Denmark in the 48th minute. But, hold on, the VAR speaks up. The goal counts, doesn't it? In Dortmund's Westfalenstadion, anxious seconds of waiting begin. While referee Michael Oliver stares at the monitor on the sideline, Danish fans start singing quietly. Then, 10:32 pm: Right in the middle of these quiet Danish singing, the German fans' jubilee erupts. Excitement and relief: The goal is disallowed. Offside.
So it remains 0:0 in Dortmund's Westfalenstadion. And while everything is being sorted out again, the DFB team launches the next attack. From the left, David Raum crosses into the penalty area, the ball disappears into thin air. But just a minute after the great jubilee of relief, the three letters appear on the video screens: VAR. Referee Oliver points to his arm, while he runs back to the monitor again. The chip in the ball and the swing on a green line provide the evidence: Surprisingly, Eigentor scorer Andersen touched the ball with his arm. Only a few DFB players had noticed it in the stadium - and the highly sensitive technology.
What followed was quickly told. Penalty for the DFB team. Kai Havertz converts. 1:0, 53rd minute, 10:35 pm. The stadium, the German substitutes' bench, national coach Julian Nagelsmann: Everything explodes. And the Danes? They sense that a sport that lives so much from emotion can suddenly be influenced by cold technology: While German fans are still celebrating the goal with "Song 2" by Blur in the stadium boxes, UEFA shows images of the previous offside decision. Andersen may have been offside when he scored his goal. For the human eye, it was not noticeable. Danish coach Kasper Hjulmand was furious at the subsequent press conference, and his anger was understandable without translation.
Quelle: sport1.de
Just as in a game of all or nothing, everything flips after the first goal. It changes everything. The Danish fans, though in the minority, were just as loud as the people in the white and pink shirts with the Germany flags before this goal. Bundestrainer Nagelsmann spoke after the late 1:1 equalizer against Switzerland last week about how the goal had woken up the stadium. It was just the same. The Dortmund Westfalenstadion can have a unique energy, which was felt: Suddenly, the "White Wall" on the Southtribune celebrates every save, every ball win of the DFB team.
However, Nagelsmann found it hard to grasp the game after the final whistle. During the match, he seemed unusually tense: Constantly pacing through the marked-off zone in front of his bench, repeatedly fidgeting with his hands. Even after the 90 minutes were over, he couldn't quite get a hold of it. Nagelsmann spoke after the game interchangeably about a "bizarre knockout game" that "ran in waves" or about a "game full of obstacles." It all held true.
For the first time during the Home-EM, he changed his starting lineup. In total, he made three substitutions. Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck replaced the yellow-carded Jonathan Tah and handled his task convincingly. For the unlucky Maximilian Mittelstadt, room was made in the first team. Surprisingly, Bayern-Star Leroy Sane was fielded from the start instead of the recently unimpressive Florian Wirtz. However, there was no change on the striker position: Niclas Füllkrug remained his joker role, while Havertz took over again.
But not "Mr. Kachelmann"
Despite the lineup change, the DFB team adapts well to the quarterfinals. The newcomers integrate seamlessly, especially Sane is not sparing himself for a sprint. The first 20 minutes were, according to the Bundestrainer, the best for his team in the tournament so far. However, while the DFB team dominates the game, the impending disaster is foreshadowed in the Dortmund evening sky. First, dark clouds appear, then occasional lightning, and eventually, a loud bang. Panic ensues among the spectators in the lower stands as raincoats are pulled out. Torrential rain, match suspension. The teams leave the field.
Wind and rain lash through the stadium, massive waterfalls cascade from the roof behind the corner flags. German fans in the lower stands look up. Special moments arise: At some point, the people in the Westfalenstadion sing self-deprecatingly "Oh, how beautiful", while the sound of raindrops hitting the stadium roof is heard. On the press tribune, smartphones are eagerly used for filming, two Danish fans dance naked in the falling waterfalls from the roof.
Nagelsmann will be asked later at the press conference in English: Was the interruption too late? Was it at the right time? The national coach shakes his head, he doesn't know. After all, he is not "Mr. Kachelmann", the weather expert. But what football expert Mr. Nagelsmann knew: His team did not necessarily benefit from the 25-minute interruption. The German team plays promisingly after the interruption but then loses focus a bit. The Danes come into the game better, even having a big chance just before half-time.
And now? Tournament favorite?
The game turns after the break. Above all, due to the double VAR mistake of the Danes, which results in the 1:0 of the German team. After that, everything becomes easier - on the pitches and on the grass: Denmark has to loosen up its defense, giving the German team a lot of space. Toni Kroos no longer gets constantly pressed. In the 68th minute, then all the dams break: Jamal Musiala scores the 2:0 after a long ball. Beer mugs fly over the stands, German fans in the stadium are already singing about Berlin, the final location.
Perhaps that's a bit hasty. After all, not only this "wave-like" play, but also this German team is still difficult to grasp. Which wave is it surfing on? How stable is it? Sometimes it plays its opponents against the wall, sometimes it seems fragile. The defense around captain Antonio Rüdiger has not yet been put to a real stress test - not even in the round of 16. The games against Switzerland and Denmark, however, have shown that the national team is heavily dependent on Kroos. Without him, it functions poorly, almost not at all, especially when he was taken out of the game. A real plan B is still missing.
And yet: The national coach is satisfied. The German team climbs another step in the tournament bracket, makes the next step in its learning process. After the spectacular 5:1 against Scotland, the 2:0 success against the physical Hungarians, and the emergency plan 1:1 against Switzerland, it is the next lesson. The German team wins in a psychologically challenging game. The long thunderstorm interruption and also the nerve-wracking VAR minutes were not easy to process. Nagelsmann said, "They deserve it, that they have managed to erase the old hard drive and understand how good they really are." While the national coach says this, a new storm is raging outside.
- Despite the controversy surrounding the disallowed goal in the 48th minute, Julian Nagelsmann's national soccer team managed to secure a 2:0 victory over Denmark during the European Football Championship 2024 quarterfinals, marking their first advancement to this stage in eight years.
- After the European Football Championship 2024 quarterfinals, Julian Nagelsmann expressed his appreciation for the performance of Leroy Sane, who started for the German national team, stating that the Bayern star was not sparing himself during the match.
- In preparation for the European Football Championship 2024, Julian Nagelsmann made changes to his starting lineup, including the introduction of Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck, who replaced the yellow-carded Jonathan Tah and handled his role convincingly.
