3 Things We Learned About Germany After Their Clash Against Denmark

Regarding yesterday’s round of 16 clash between Germany and England, it is safe to say that it was an exciting one.

There were VAR decisions that decided the game, a suspension of the game due to dangerous thunderstorms in Dortmund and a happy German team at the end of it, leaving the Danish team including their fans devastated.

With Germany now going through into the quarter finals, they will either be facing a strong Spanish team or the impressive underdogs Georgia.

Therefore, here are three things we have learned about the German squad after their match against Denmark.

1. Control Of The Game

Right after the game started, Germany was the pressing team and controlled the game by far. Especially the first ten minutes they barely let the Danish touch the ball and only played in the Danish half.

In that starting phase, the Germans created many chances, topped with Nico Schlotterbeck’s goal in the fourth minute after a Toni Kroos corner. After a VAR check, referee Michael Oliver decided that the strike will not stand because of a foul from Kimmich.

Regardless, this early goal more or less set the scene for Germany to be the better team throughout the game.

Denmark did recover from the early shock and found their way back into the game but almost all of their chances came from counter attacks and German mistakes in their build up.

Germany has always been a team that liked to take control over the game but in recent years they did not do anything with it. They dominated the game but conceded goals instead of scoring themselves.

This seems to have changed during these Euros. Julian Nagelsmann’s kept his squad calm and patient but still eager. In the end they got rewarded with two goals from Kai Havertz (penalty) and Jamal Musiala in the 53rd and 68th minute.

The stability Germany showed throughout the whole clash was truly remarkable and will be a crucial part to maintain for their upcoming quarter final.

TEAMWORK!!! ❤️‍🔥Ab ins Viertelfinale! ⚡️

🇩🇪 2:0 #GERDEN #dfbteam #euro2024
📸 DFB/Philipp Reinhard pic.twitter.com/XnxeRI5t2S
— DFB-Team (@DFB_Team) June 29, 2024

2. Defensive Struggles

Nonetheless, it is not like Denmark did not have the chance to score or even take the lead of the game.

Especially in counter attacks, the Germans often struggled to get back quick enough and therefore opened a lot of room for the Danish to create chances.

From time to time, it also seemed like offensive mistakes overwhelmed the defense and it took a little too long to react.

After the 20-minute suspension due to the immense weather conditions over Dortmund, Denmark started to play more aggressive and looked like they wanted the win more than the Germans just before the half time whistle.

Shortly after, in the 47th minute, Denmark then also got unlucky with a ruled out offside goal from Joachim Andersen - lucky for Germany because that was a defensive catastrophe.

Everyone was all over the place but made no effort to get the ball out of the 18 years box.

Schlotterbeck, who started for Germany because Jonathan Tah had a yellow card suspension, however, impressed with his performance and would deserve to be in the starting 11 in their upcoming match.

Until then, Nagelsmann needs to find ways to fully stabilize the defense around Antonio Rüdiger, especially if they face Spain who have got a strong offensive lineup.

Emotions and Hunger 🔥⚡👊🏾 #nextround #Hustle #AlwaysBelieve #Euro2024 pic.twitter.com/UiUsxAZQI6
— Antonio Rüdiger (@ToniRuediger) June 29, 2024

3. Home Crowd Advantage

For this round of 16 clash, the Borussia Dortmund stadium set the scene for an amazing atmosphere, despite the weather conditions.

Although around ten thousand Danish fans came to support their country, it is obvious that the Germans were the louder crowd.

The home advantage that Germany have in every game not just creates a great atmosphere for fans in the stadium but also seems to help the team on the pitch to perform on a high level and believe in themselves.

In recent interviews, many German players have mentioned the immense support they receive from fans and how much it helps them during the game and this became evident once again in yesterday’s match.

German fans sign at the game tonight

"No Deutschland, No Party"
"THX Scotland"
"We take over now" pic.twitter.com/RaZH4GEDtB
— Scottish Football Away Days (@days_scottish) June 29, 2024

Germany controlled the game but did not score and Denmark managed to keep a clean sheet until the Havertz penalty in the 53rd minute - they had to be patient.

Regardless, the German crowd chanted through storms and hail, believing in their country. Believing in every single player of their team.

In general, the cohesion this tournament has built in Germany is something special - something that has never happened in this way before and it is something that helps fans and players.

As hosts, Germany will of course keep their home advantage for their upcoming match and they will certainly make good use of it.

Overall, Germany deservedly went through to the quarter finals and once again impressed with their performance. They need to work on minor issues within their defense and possibly think about starting Schlotterbeck again on Friday.

Who they will face, will be decided in tonight’s 8pm clash between Spain and Georgia in Cologne.