Euro-2024: Germany blows after the storm, Italy is the defending champion on the mat

After the storm and the cold sweats, relief: Germany qualified for the quarter-finals of "son" Euro-2024 by eliminating Denmark (2-0) on Saturday Dortmund, while the Italian title holder wasé released by Switzerland (2-0) à Berlin.

Totally rare fact, the meeting between Germans and Danes was interrupted for just half an hour in the 35th minute, due to a violent storm above the Dortmund stadium, with lightning, hailstones and heavy rain.

In Dortmund, Germany held its place with forceps and maintained a sweet euphoria throughout the country, by qualifying for the first time since Euro-2016 for the quarter-finals of a major competition. Failures at the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 (in the 1st round) and at Euro-2021 (round of 16), are now behind the Germans.

Au next round, Julian Nagelsmann's players will meet the winner of the round of 16 between Spain, impressive during the group stage, and Georgia, surprise and Tom Thumb of the tournament for its first participation, scheduled for Sunday in Cologne (9:00 p.m.) .

The path to the European top 8, which Germany had missed three years ago at Wembley against England (2-0), was not, however, easy for Ilkay Gündogan's teammates, who had a huge scare in the 50th minute, when the Danes thought they had opened the scoring through Joachim Andersen. But the goal was disallowed for a very slight offside position by Thomas Delaney.

– Musiala delivers Germany –

Jamal Musiala scorer of the break goal for Germany against Denmark in Dortmund, June 29, 2024 © AFP – KENZO TRIBOUILLARD

Andersen was despite himself the hero of the evening, because in the process, it was he who deflected a German cross with his hand. After watching the video, the referee awarded a penalty which Kai Havertz converted.

The deliverance for the German supporters came from Jamal Musiala a quarter of an hour into later. The Bayern attacking midfielder did not miss his duel with Kasper Schmeichel to double the lead in the 68th minute.

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A summer fairytale dream so hoped for in mid-July, on the model of that which had accompanied Germany's journey to the semi-final and 3rd place in the 2006 World Cup at home, continues for at least six days, until 'to the quarter-final in Stuttgart on Friday (6 p.m.).

For Italy, the defending champion, on the other hand, the adventure logically ended in the round of 16, the worst European Championship in the Nazionale since its elimination in the first round in 2004 in Portugal.< /p>

With Italy eliminated, it is one of the great nations of European football, four world champion titles (1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006) and two continental ( 1968 and 2021) on the clock, which leaves the competition. Switzerland, for its part, reaches the European top 8 for the second consecutive time after having defeated France, the reigning world champion at the time, in 2021.

– The Switzerland still impresses –

The joy of the Swiss team qualified for the quarter-finals of the Euro at the expense of Italy, June 29, 2024 in Berlin © AFP – Axel Heimken

European champion in the summer of 2021, Italy arrived in Germany in mid-June on tiptoe, having passed through a mouse hole during the qualifying phase at the end 2023.

Luciano Spalletti's Nazionale emerged miraculously from the first round of Euro-2024, snatching their ticket to the knockout phase in the last seconds of the match against Croatia with an equalizer (1-1) from Mattia Zaccagni.

Saturday, at the Olympiastadion in Berlin which will host the final on July 14, Gianlugi Donnarumma's teammates were dominated by an already impressive Swiss team during the 1st round, after having notably stood up to Germany (1-1).

Ruben Vargas (l) scores the second Swiss goal against Italy, June 29, 2024 in Berlin © AFP – JOHN MACDOUGALL

Remo Freuler opened the scoring after a nice combination with Dan Ndoye and Ruben Vargas in the first half. Less than a minute after returning from the locker room, Vargas doubled the lead for the Nati with a superb curling shot.

Switzerland, which has never reached the last four of a major competition, will face in the quarterfinals the winner of the round of 16 between England, cited among the favorites for the Euro but stammering since its entry into the running, and Slovakia, scheduled for Gelsenkirchen on Sunday (6:00 p.m. ).

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