Germany advances to Euro quarterfinals

Havana, Jun 30 (JIT) - Germany, one of the favorites to lift the trophy at the 2024 European Football Championship, is already in the quarterfinals after defeating Denmark 2-0, in a match where the hosts showed a mixture of superiority and survival rarely seen.

The Mannschaft pressed from the first minute and suffocated a Danish team that barely survived the pressure, until a storm forced the referee to stop the match for 21 minutes.

When the Red Dynamite returned, evidently oxygenated, they hit back at the Teutons, who were left frozen with Andersen's goal, but the VAR gave them back their soul and showed the visitors the way to Calvary.

Andersen's purgatory barely measured the last few centimeters of his offside foot, which was surgically marked by the lines of the technology. So were the fingertips of his hand, which grazed a ball in his own area, and put Kai Havertz to kick the advantage from the penalty spot, also on the recommendation of the video referee.

The night fell for the Danes, who never recovered no matter how hard they tried. Instead, Jamal Musiala put the final nail in the coffin with just over 20 minutes to go. 

The home side now awaits the winner of the clash between Spain and Georgia to find out which will advance to the semifinals. A match that could well look like a final, should the Furia Roja survive.

Switzerland also crossed the border of the Round of 16, with a 2-0 win over champions Italy.

The Azzurri showed more tattoos than soccer. This team has nothing of the fierce defense and the punch of yesteryear. Maybe it is on the way, but it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, at least in the near future. The World Cup is two years away and it would be unfair for soccer if they were not there.

The Swiss, on the other hand, showed that they can present a solid formation in defense, as well as a strong attack, and that they have the weapons to defeat a "big team", even if it was going through its worst hours.