A loose, hectic, sometimes thrilling match was disrupted first by the elements and then by the deadening technocracy that is smothering elite football. At the end of it all Germany could dream of a new summer fairytale having come through the most unseasonable of hindrances. A storm of dramatic proportions that erupted after the half-hour brought Michael Oliver to stop the game and bring the teams inside for 25 minutes. At one stage it seemed the game was at risk of being curtailed altogether.
After it resumed, Oliver and his VAR team were central to a sequence that devastated Denmark. Joachim Andersen’s goal was chalked off for a wafer-thin offside and he almost immediately conceded a penalty through their interpretation of a ridiculous handball law. Kai Havertz converted and Jamal Musiala turned the screw. Germany, riotous fun but often ragged, face Spain or Georgia next.
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