Germany overcame Denmark and adverse weather conditions that saw play suspended to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.
Second-half goals from Kai Havertz – a penalty after Denmark had an effort ruled out by VAR for offside moments earlier – and Jamal Musiala gave the hosts a 2-0 win and a place against Spain or Georgia in the last eight.
But that was not the whole story on a dramatic and stormy night in Dortmund when referee Michael Oliver took the players from the field after 35 minutes due to thunder and lightning.
There was a 24-minute delay before the action resumed in front of soaked supporters, who had tried to protect themselves from torrential rain under makeshift covers.
Germany had the ball in the net inside four minutes as centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck rose to meet Toni Kroos’ corner and beat Kasper Schmeichel with a towering header.
But the eagle-eyed Oliver spotted that Joshua Kimmich had blocked off Schlotterbeck’s marker Andreas Skov Olsen and correctly disallowed the goal.
It was one-way traffic as Denmark’s box was besieged, with Schmeichel denying Kimmich, Schlotterbeck and Havertz with full-stretch saves inside the opening 10 minutes.
Robert Andrich headed another Kroos corner straight at Schmeichel and Musiala drove wide, and it seemed simply a matter of time before Germany would score.
But Denmark gradually established a foothold as Christian Eriksen and Joakim Maehle went close before the skies darkened and loud thunder claps and lightning filled the air.
When the rain relented and the players returned, both sides had clear chances before the break.
Havertz sent a free header straight at Schmeichel and Rasmus Hojlund rippled the side-netting at the other end before being denied by Manuel Neuer’s brave goalkeeping.
Denmark were celebrating three minutes after the restart when Joachim Andersen lashed home from 10 yards.
But Thomas Delaney was inches offside in the build-up according to the semi-automated offside technology, and Andersen’s misery was compounded by David Raum’s cross touching his outstretched arm.
Havertz stepped up to tuck away his second spot-kick of the tournament, beating Schmeichel’s dive to his left with a perfect penalty inside the right post.
Hojlund failed to beat Neuer again from 10 yards, smashing his shot straight at the veteran goalkeeper, before Musiala raced onto Schlotterbeck’s raking pass after 68 minutes.
Musiala made no mistake with a calm right-footed finish, moving him level on three goals with Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze as the tournament’s top scorer.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
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Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
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