Antonio Rüdiger put on a masterful display in Germany’s Round of 16 win over Denmark, being awarded man of the match in the process.
The Real Madrid defender was unbeatable in Germany’s backline, completing a total of 12 defensive actions and making seven recoveries whilst helping the Germans to their second clean sheet of the tournament (FotMob).
Rüdiger’s strong performance highlights the team’s strength in defending during the match, however, Germany left something to be desired going forward. The team was too frequently wasteful in attacking phases, often making an unnecessary pass or taking an extra touch instead of looking to shoot.
As captured via @iMiaSanMia, Rüdiger spoke after the match about Germany’s general dominance along with the need to improve in the attacking third. When asked how he felt about the victory, the defender had the following to say: “It feels very good. We were dominant from the start – what we can criticize is that we didn’t kill them off earlier. We missed too many chances. It wasn’t easy, of course, but this team is showing good character, that they can come back against all kinds of adversities and always give it their all. We still have three finals to play. We’ll take it as it comes, we’re ready to go.”
Germany created five big chances against Denmark but missed three of them (FotMob). While he did an excellent job in converting his penalty, Kai Havertz was the one to squander all three of Germany’s biggest missed opportunities.
Rüduger will undoubtedly have a big role to play in the quarterfinal in Stuttgart— but should Havertz? Niklas Füllkrug has already proved himself capable in front of the net, and Germany must be more clinical if it wants to win EURO 2024.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Germany’s 2-0 victory over Denmark? Good, then we have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show where we cover the starting lineup selection, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, and takes on how it all played out. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: