‘We cannot require defenders to run with arms like this’Nagelsmann accuses Michael Oliver of being petty The Denmark manager, Kasper Hjulmand, took aim at football’s “ridiculous” handball rules after they were beaten 2-0 by Germany in a controversial, storm-ravaged last-16 tie. Denmark had been well in the game against Germany and thought they had taken the lead when Joachim Andersen converted three minutes after half-time. But the goal was disallowed by VAR for a fractional offside against Thomas Delaney and, almost immediately afterwards, Andersen was penalised for a harsh handball picked up by the video officials. They could not find a way back after Kai Havertz scored the penalty, Jamal Musiala confirming Germany’s progress. Continue reading...

England rank 20th out of 24 in attempts on goal but third in passing accuracy and first in crossing accuracy None of the 81 goals scored in the group stage were scored directly from a direct free-kick. At Euro 2020, there was only one free-kick goal, scored by Mikkel Damsgaard against England in the semi-finals. Euro 2016 had four, with Gareth Bale scoring two – more (so far) than in the next two tournaments combined. This is in line with domestic trends: in Europe’s top five leagues, the amount of free-kicks in the final third that are shot at goal has dropped from 24.6% in 2008-09 to 18.8% in 2022-23. Continue reading...

Any thesis on why 24 teams should never have been permitted in the European Championship finals must feature this game. On a stiflingly hot evening in Bavaria, Denmark and Serbia did absolutely nothing to prove the expansion of this tournament has enhanced entertainment levels. The occasion was notable for Christian Eriksen winning his 133rd cap, a record for a male Danish player, and … that was about it. Continue reading...