ON a stormy night in Dortmund, hosts Germany refused to let Denmark rain on their parade.
With a helping hand from English officials and good old VAR.
Lightning flashed above the grounditv
Torrential rain delayed the match for 25 minutes
APRain poured off the roof[/caption]
AFPThe players were taken off the pitch[/caption]
RexFans took cover in the concourses – but some braved the adverse conditions[/caption]
RexKai Havertz scored from the spot[/caption]
RexJamal Musiala scored his third goal of the tournament[/caption]
There was thunder, there was lightning, and the way the Danes played was, at times, frightening for the host nation.
Especially when Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen thought he had given the men in red the lead just after half-time.
But offside technology saved Germany and moments later VAR Stuart Attwell harshly condemned Andersen, for whom the night was anything but a fairytale.
There really was little the Danish centre-back could have done to avoid David Raum’s cross striking his hand.
Yet English referee Michael Oliver agreed Andersen’s arm was in an unnatural position.
And naturally, Kai Havertz exacted the full penalty by scoring from the spot.
It was harsh on the Danes. After recovering from a shaky start, they were the better team either side of the delay caused by the thunderstorm.
Oliver took players off for 25 minutes as the rain lashed down and the sky flashed and roared.
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But after Havertz broke the deadlock, Germany had the better chances.
And Jamal Musiala ran on to a long ball, outpaced poor old Andersen and showed the composure his elders had lacked to settle the match.
Julian Nagelsmann’s team deserved their victory overall, but will surely need to deliver a more consistent performance in the quarter-final on Friday in Stuttgart, where Spain are their likely opponents.
Germany started quickly and thought they had taken the lead within four minutes.
But ref Oliver ruled out Nico Schlotterbeck’s header for a foul by Joshua Kimmich off the ball.
Moments later, Kimmich tried to make amends but Kasper Schmeichel beat away his effort. From the corner, Schmeichel tipped another Schlotterbeck header behind.
The Germans were pressing high, and the Danes found it hard to get out of their half.
When they did, Christian Eriksen’s shot was deflected behind by Antonio Rudiger.
But Kasper Hjulmand’s side had weathered the early storm and were gaining a foothold. Joakim Maehle fired wide when he might have done better.
Germany were no longer at full throttle and passes went astray, even from Toni Kroos.
Then the actual storm came. Danish football and boss Hjulmand are particularly sensitive to such conditions.
In 2009, when Hjulmand was assistant boss at Nordsjaelland, midfielder Jonathan Richter was struck by lightning during a reserve match.
Richter suffered a cardiac arrest and was put into a coma for nearly a fortnight.
He then had the lower part of his left leg amputated. So this was not an over-reaction.
After the restart, Hjulmand, frustrated by decisions going against his team, was booked for his protests. But then Hojlund had two sights of goal.
The first, he fired into the side netting. Then Thomas Delaney’s pass was far enough ahead of Hojlund for Manuel Neuer to make a save.
Soon after the break, Andersen tucked the ball home after a scramble following a free-kick. But Delaney had been offside in the build-up.
The reprieve woke up the German crowd and their team.
Moments later Andersen’s night took an even worse turn when the VAR spotted his handball in the box.
Havertz, after a stuttering run-up, beat Schmeichel.
The Arsenal star could have settled the game when he brilliantly turned Raum’s pass into a through ball, leaving Andersen for dead, but got his finish horribly wrong.
Havertz combined superbly with Leroy Sane, but the former Manchester City winger could not hit the target.
At the other end, Hojlund fired straight at Neuer.
Then Schlotterbeck hit a long ball into the channel. Musiala ran on to it, Andersen hesitated and the young maestro was gone.
After his deft, clipped finish, so was the game.
A penalty was given for Andersen’s handball
GettyStadium staff swept water off the sidelines[/caption]