A thunderstorm meant that the round of 16 in Dortmund had to be temporarily cancelled. Then Germany stepped out and defeated Denmark 2-0, and is thus ready for the quarter-finals of the football European Championship – after a couple of nightmare minutes for Danish Joachim Andersen.
Sports can be cruel, just ask Danish defender Joachim Andersen.
Right at the beginning of the second half, he was involved in what must feel like a nightmare.
First, the 28-year-old shot what he thought was 1-0 to Denmark – but after VAR review, the goal was ruled out. On the replays, Andersen’s teammate Thomas Delaney appeared to be offside by the smallest possible margin.
Just minutes later, it was time for a new VAR review, this time for a hand on Andersen in his own penalty area. The referee, after studying the television screen, pointed at the penalty spot. Kai Havertz managed the situation from eleven meters in the best way, and 1-0 to the host nation was a fact.
Bad weather interrupted the match
The 1-0 goal came after a scoreless first half, where the host nation looked to have made a dream start to the European Championship match – already in the fourth minute Nico Schlotterbeck headed in a corner for the Germans, but the jubilation was quickly cut short after the referee blew the goal away.
Just over half an hour into the match, the weather cleared in the round of 16. The heavens opened and the downpour was a fact, at the same time it began to rumble and lighten heavily – so much so that the match was temporarily suspended.
The players disappeared into the dressing room and the match was suspended for around 25 minutes before it could be resumed.
Shared first in the shooting league
In the 68th minute, Jamal Musiala made sure to extend the German lead to 2-0, after a quick German turnaround and an icy finish. The goal was the 21-year-old’s third in the EC – with it he shares the scoring league lead with Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze.
For Germany, the winner between the favorite Spain and the EC debutant Georgia now awaits in the quarter-finals.
A storm caused the round of 16 between Germany and Denmark to be temporarily interrupted.
A storm caused the round of 16 between Germany and Denmark to be temporarily interrupted.
Photo: Darko Vojinovic/AP/TT