Good morning.
Last night in Dortmund, something unexpected happened. A goal was disallowed, thunder and lightning were coming, Michael Oliver was so scared that he had to take his players off the pitch, and goals from Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala sent Germany into the final, with Denmark scoring the winner.
Germany looked to have taken an early lead and Niko Schlotterbeck’s brilliant header looked like the perfect goal, but a not-so-subtle block from Joshua Kimmich saw the goal cancelled. Germany took the lead, and Denmark caught up again. It was a decent performance, with Kaspar Schmeichel twice blocking Havertz’s goals and Christian Eriksen producing a quality first touch.
In the second half, Denmark thought they had scored through Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen, but this too was ruled out due to early intervention by a player whose claws were offside.
Then at the other end, Anderson’s misery was compounded by the fact that he was awarded a penalty when the ball hit his hand from relatively close range. I’ve seen a lot of talk about the correct application of handball laws, but I think everyone would agree that it’s outrageous for someone to be punished so severely simply for having arms. The arm moves, the hand stays on the arm, and never in a million years would that be a penalty. Rulemakers need to address this urgently. Because it’s ridiculous to see a penalty handed out for that in a major competition.
Havertz stepped up and Schmeichel went in the right direction, but he had no chance. The ball went just wide of the post and the result was 1-0. Kai could have had another one later. Sublime first touch We sent him to the goal, but he missed the goal slightly. But I think he would have squared it up for a tap-in from the onrushing Leroy Sane if he hadn’t been flagrantly fouled as he sprinted into the box. In that respect, I think Denmark has been quite lucky. For Havertz, Germany and Arsenal could benefit if he can add 10% more confidence in his finishing.
Musiala added a second goal after finding space at the back. I wondered if the keeper should have come but he hesitated and at 2-0 it felt like the game was over. Denmark can certainly have some regrets about the goals they ruled out and the goals they got behind, but as the game went on I thought Germany were the better side.
Earlier in the day, Switzerland were too good for Italy, who have a hard time reconciling their European football history and pedigree with this group of players. They lacked quality in the forward positions, and once again it was their goalkeeper who kept them there. A fine first-half goal from Remo Freuler was followed by a superb strike from Ruben Vargas early in the second half, and Switzerland deservedly won.
Today all eyes are on England’s match against Slovakia. What changes will Gareth Southgate make? They are clearly the favorites for this match, but unless their performance improves, Slovakia are likely to pull off the upset. There is a lot of discussion and discussion about players and positions, so it will be interesting to see which team he chooses later on.
Spain then faced a Georgia side that had good energy in this tournament, but ended up being suffocated by Spain’s possession game. That might be a good thing. Fingers crossed.
Okay, let’s stop here for now and join us later. On Patreon Listen to the latest Euro 2024 podcast as we discuss last night’s match and look ahead to today’s game.
In the meantime, have a happy Sunday.
