Dortmund (AFP)
Hosts Germany play the Euro 2024 last 16 on Saturday against Denmark in Dortmund, hoping to learn from their recent draw with Switzerland, who face a tough match against defending champions Italy in Berlin.
After nearly a decade of faltering at major tournaments, Germany made a good start in the group stage with two wins over Scotland (5-1) and Hungary (2-0), but in the third they almost lost the lead in their first group, before a goal by the unknown striker a few years ago, Niclas Füllkrug, saved them in the dying moments and gave them a point against Switzerland.
This was an alarm bell for the Germans dreaming of a fourth continental title, and the first since 1996, breaking the partnership with Spain.
The team of young coach Julian Nagelsmann has a more ancient history than their northern neighbors, but memories of the 1992 final are still stuck in the minds of many.
After receiving a last-minute invitation, following the exclusion of Yugoslavia, the Danish Dynamite pulled off a stunning upset by defeating Germany 2-0 in Sweden.
Then-Germany coach Berti Vogts admitted in his column in RB that his team had “underestimated” the Danes.
He wrote, “In 1992, we lost the final to a large Danish team, despite our nomination at the time, similar to the German team now, and everyone believed that the title was in our pocket, and unfortunately some players shared this opinion.”
Vogts considered that Denmark’s current level may not match its quality in the 1992 edition, but the pressure is currently on the Germans: “Denmark was hungry for success and did not face pressure. They played football and we were surprised by their way, also because we underestimated them.”
Although Germany have won just three of their 11 games in 2023, they have yet to lose in 2024, winning five and drawing twice, with Nagelsmann sticking to his starting lineup.
This policy may have given Germany stability, but it has cost them the loss of defender Jonathan Tah, who will miss the match through suspension and could be replaced by Borussia Dortmund defender Schlotterbeck.
There is doubt about Antonio Rudiger’s participation due to a muscle injury in his thigh.
Schlotterbeck said that the Germans, who are counting on Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and Toni Kroos in midfield, who will retire permanently after the tournament, know “everything” about the Danes, “the entire match plan, defense, attack.”
Schlotterbeek, who will play at his home club Dortmund, said that the famous “yellow wall” in the stands will turn into a “white wall.”
In contrast, Denmark, led by Christian Eriksen, qualified with three draws and finished second in their group on fair play behind Slovenia.
The winner of this match will meet the qualifier between Spain and Georgia.
The round of 16 will kick off in the capital, Berlin, with Italy, who qualified with difficulty, facing their neighbours, Switzerland.
The Azzurri needed an eighth minute of stoppage time from the relatively unknown Mattia Zaccani to equalise for Croatia and finish second in Group B, five points behind Spain.
His coach Luciano Spalletti said the last title holder in the summer of 2021, for the second time in its history, deserved to qualify, but he directed criticism at his players. The 65-year-old also launched a campaign against the media that put pressure on his team.
“In my opinion they are improving gradually,” said the former Napoli coach.
Compared to the last edition, when Italy beat Switzerland 3-0 in the group stage, the scorers of that match’s three goals, Manuel Locatelli and Ciro Immobile, as well as midfielder Marco Verratti, were excluded.
Veteran defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci have retired, while Juventus striker Federico Chiesa is still far from his best.
Zakaniyi (29 years old) insisted that his team must develop in the qualifying rounds. “We know that the national team always suffers, and then the decisive time comes.”
On the other hand, coach Murat Yakin’s squad includes several professionals in the Italian League, including Serie A champion Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer and Bologna trio Dan Ndoye, Remo Freuler and Michel Abisher.
Switzerland is competing in the knockout rounds for the sixth time in a row in a major tournament, noting that it eliminated France on penalties in the last edition, before being eliminated in the same scenario against Spain in the quarter-finals.
“Their team is compact, they play for each other and we need a big game to beat them,” added Lazio’s Zaccagni.
Italy will miss defender Riccardo Calafiore due to suspension, but Zaccanje expressed his readiness despite suffering an injury to his ribs under a pile of players celebrating his late goal against Croatia.
It remains to be seen what else Spalletti will feature in his squad, with defensive midfielder Jorginho struggling and striker Matteo Retiggi failing to impress against Croatia, as was the case with fellow striker Gianluca Scamacca at the start of the tournament.
The match against Switzerland will be a revenge for the four-time world champions, as Nati denied them direct qualification to the Qatar 2022 World Cup after they topped Group 3 of the European qualifiers and forced them to play the continental play-off, where they were eliminated from the semi-finals of the third path after losing at home to North Macedonia 0-1 with a goal scored in stoppage time.
The winner of this match will meet the winner between England and Slovakia.
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