Joachim Andersen has had better three-minute periods during his career than the 180 seconds that ultimately decided the fate of this last-16 tie in Dortmund, Germany’s first knockout win at a major tournament since 2016. From ecstasy to ignominy to agony. Denmark were somehow both comfortably beaten (scoreline) and left to rue that they could have caused deep German regret.
The two incidents were marginal, because football is increasingly destined to live on the edge and be best watched in freeze frame. Andersen was a straying toenail from Denmark taking a lead that may even have been deserved. The ball then nicked off an outstretched hand and feathered the ball to first slip.
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In the same usual places, rent-a-bad-opinion havers cried woke, because the last thing we want is to protect footballers from being hit by lightning. Around it, the match was open and aesthetically pleasant. Germany seized advantage from the off, desperate not to get sucked into the same lethargy as beset them against Switzerland.
Jamal Musiala , Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane stret.