Eighteen years ago, on 4 July 2006, the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund was the scene of heartbreak for thousands of German fans, a pain shared by millions of citizens throughout the country. The Sommermärchen, the fairy tale experienced during the 2006 World Cup, later told in a documentary, ended in the semi-finals against Italy (0-2 aet). The German national team avoided a similar scenario on Saturday 29 June, by beating Denmark (2-0) in the round of 16 of the Euro, in this same Signal Iduna Park.
The more than 50,000 German supporters present in the stands were able, at the final whistle, to sing at the top of their lungs. Major Tom, a 1983 song by the artist Peter Schilling, which accompanies the victories of the Mannschaft players in this competition. Qualified for the quarter-finals, they begin to dream of a new epic to tell in a film. The one that is shown in the cinema, not just on television, because it is beautiful enough to take all the German people on board with it.
We are not there yet, but if Julian Nagelsmann’s team were to win this Euro, this evening at Signal Iduna Park will be remembered as the one where they were patient. Enough to let the elements unleash themselves, the opposing goalkeeper performed several exploits before giving in and the video refereeing (VAR) proved the Germans right.
After securing first place in their group thanks to a last-minute goal against Switzerland (1-1), Germany initially reassured themselves in the game against a difficult-to-maneuver Denmark team. “Our first twenty minutes were the best we have played since the start of the tournament”rejoiced Julian Nagelsmann, the German coach.
“A crazy match”
Before this round of 16, the young 36-year-old technician was delighted that his team had “to manage difficult situations” during the group stage and that it was now “well prepared for the knockout stage”His Mannschaft was ready for anything, he thought, but he could not imagine such a disjointed intrigue as the one that had long accompanied this meeting. “It was a crazy match”he conceded.
First there were several saves by the Danish goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel, whose decisive actions brought back bad memories of his father Peter. The latter had disgusted the Mannschaft attackers in the final of Euro 1992, won by Denmark. The deluge that fell on Dortmund at the half-hour mark, coupled with a thunderstorm, then caused the match to be interrupted for twenty-four minutes.
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