Second-half goals from Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala took Germany through to the UEFA EURO 2024 quarter-finals.
Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala struck second-half goals as Germany edged past a competitive Denmark side and through to the UEFA EURO 2024 quarter-finals on a night of high drama.
35′ Match suspended due to adverse weather
37′ Schmeichel blocks firm Havertz header
45′ Neuer off line to deny Højlund on counter
53′ Havertz converts penalty after handball
59′ Havertz chips wide with keeper to beat
66′ Neuer stands firm to save Højlund drive
68′ Musiala coolly slots in his third of finalsMatch in brief: Germany come through
Jamal Musiala celebrates his decisive second
After a balmy Dortmund day, dark clouds rolled in at kick-off and Germany made a lightning start to this last-16 tie. In the opening ten minutes Nico Schlotterbeck headed a whisker wide, and Joshua Kimmich and Havertz both tested Kasper Schmeichel; for a while the question was not if the hosts would score but when.
Denmark, though, are past masters at battening down the hatches. They weathered the storm and, just as the meteorological heavens opened, Kasper Hjulmand’s charges found a foothold. If that didn’t dampen the Germany fans’ noisy enthusiasm, the storm that hit on 35 minutes did. The teams were taken off.
When play resumed, so did the hosts’ dominance as Havertz’s header brought a good stop from Schmeichel. Manuel Neuer, at 38 a year his counterpart’s senior, was forced into action at the other end, scampering off his line to block at Rasmus Højlund’s feet on the counter. It was end-to-end stuff.
So it continued after the restart. Joachim Andersen had an effort disallowed for offside, and moments later the defender’s adjudged handball allowed Havertz to fire in from the spot. Havertz and Højlund traded near misses before Musiala collected Schlotterbeck’s long ball and coolly sealed a date with Spain or Georgia on Friday.
Vivo Player of the Match: Antonio Rüdiger (Germany)
He was really solid, winning a lot of duels all game long. He was especially strong in the air and also accurate with the ball.
Phil Röber, Germany reporter
The match was in the balance for a long time, but Germany created the better chances throughout. The home fans are already dreaming of a trip to Berlin, but the path there leads via Stuttgart and what looks like the toughest of quarter-finals. Team spirit remains intact and Germany’s ability to win second-phase balls seemingly increases with every game.
Sture Sandø, Denmark reporter
Denmark fought with what they had, but Germany had more. The Danes had the hosts on the back foot at times, probably more than Julian Nagelsmann will be comfortable with. But Germany edged a very even, entertaining match. Denmark can travel home with heads high while Germany continue their journey to Berlin – they will take some stopping.
Reaction
Julian Nagelsmann, Germany coach: “It was a wild game! The first 20 minutes were the best of the tournament, then the thunderstorm, then we thought we were behind and then we went ahead. Kai did very well from the spot. The stadium pushed us a lot.”
Kasper Hjulmand, Denmark coach: “In recent years we have shown we are close to the big teams but there’s just one thing that’s lacking: We need to create and take more chances. Our ambition is to rub shoulders with the big teams; sometimes we get to semi-finals, sometimes we don’t. Croatia have had a great few years and that’s where we want to be.”
Key stats
- Germany are through to the quarter-finals for the fourth time in five EUROs.
- Musiala has scored three goals in four outings at EURO 2024, more than he managed in 29 previous caps.
- Only England’s Wayne Rooney (18 years, 241 days) has reached three EURO finals goals at a younger age than Musiala (21 years, 124 days).
- Havertz marked his 50th cap with his 18th goal for Germany.
- Havertz is only the third German player to score two or more goals at two EURO final tournaments after Mario Gomez and Rudi Völler.
- Denmark are eight matches without a win at major tournaments (D4 L4).
Line-ups
Germany’s starting XI
Germany: Neuer; Kimmich, Rüdiger, Schlotterbeck, Raum (Henrichs 80); Andrich (Can 64), Kroos; Sané (Anton 88), Gündoğan (Füllkrug 64), Musiala (Wirtz 81); Havertz
Denmark: Schmeichel; Andersen, Vestergaard, Christensen (Bruun Larsen 81); Bah (Kristiansen 82), Delaney (Nørgaard 69), Højbjerg, Mæhle; Skov Olsen (Poulsen 69), Højlund (Wind 81), Eriksen (Damsgaard 81)