Steve Nicol and Frank Leboeuf cannot perceive how Germany have been awarded a penalty of their 2-0 win over Denmark. (1:59)
DORTMUND, Germany — Denmark<\/a> coach Kasper Hjulmand hit out at “ridiculous handball guidelines” and stated “this isn’t how soccer ought to be” after two VAR choices within the area of two minutes in opposition to his crew helped Euro 2024 hosts Germany<\/a> seal a 2-0 round-of-16 victory in Dortmund.
Premier League<\/a> referee Michael Oliver dominated out a Joachim Andersen<\/a> aim on 48 minutes following a VAR intervention that highlighted a marginal offside involving Denmark midfielder Thomas Delaney<\/a>.
Two minutes later, Oliver awarded a penalty to Germany after VAR officers Stuart Attwell and David Coote urged him to assessment an obvious handball by Andersen from David Raum’s cross. Kai Havertz<\/a> scored from the spot to place Germany 1-0 forward, and Jamal Musiala<\/a> then added the hosts’ second aim later within the half.
However an indignant Hjulmand questioned using VAR after the sport and famous that each choices went in opposition to his crew.
“It was determined by two VAR choices,” Hjulmand stated. “I’ve the picture right here [of the Delaney offside]. It was one centimetre. It would not make sense, this isn’t how we’re speculated to be utilizing VAR.
“After which after a couple of minutes, it is a penalty [to Germany]. I’m so bored with the ridiculous handball guidelines. We must always not require defender to be taking part in with palms like this. He [Andersen] was operating usually, it is a regular state of affairs and he was hit with the ball from a metre away.
“I not often speak about these choices, nevertheless it was very decisive for this sport. Being in entrance at 1-0 would have been crucial and adjusted the whole lot for our crew.
“Good luck for Germany, however for my part, this isn’t how soccer ought to be.”
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann admitted that he had no qualms with Hjulmand’s complaints, saying he would make the identical argument had the choice gone in opposition to his crew.
“We had a penalty and I perceive Denmark have been irritated by it,” Nagelsmann stated. “It is fairly harsh, he did not do it deliberately, however that is the rule. I might have been upset if it had occurred the opposite method round, although.”
Regardless of the 2 essential calls going in opposition to his crew, Hjulmand stated he remained a supporter of using VAR.
“I all the time preferred VAR,” he stated. “I feel know-how can do one thing good for the game, however for my part, when a call is nice it ought to be seen from the moon and never depend upon a number of centimetres. It is speculated to be clear and apparent.
“However when it is like this, it is somewhat questionable. It also needs to be faster. There needs to be a method to enhance it.
“We have been taught in seminars so many occasions to clarify the handball rule and we have now requested what’s a pure motion?
“Once we are instructed, this isn’t a pure place for handball as a result of the participant has to have his arms out to run. Simply inform me what the rule is.”
UEFA issued an announcement on its web site defending the handball choice and using know-how to detect the handball by Andersen.
“Throughout the match between Germany and Denmark, related ball know-how housed inside Adidas’s Fussballliebe ball confirmed that Denmark defender Joachim Andersen touched the ball together with his hand contained in the penalty space,” UEFA stated.
“On this occasion, the sensor was capable of report precisely the contact of the hand of the participant with the floor of the ball.
“The ‘heartbeat’ of the ball proven on broadcast is similar because the referee sees through the on-field assessment and discerns the purpose of contact precisely to five-hundredths of a second.”
Hjulmand, in the meantime, defended referee Oliver’s choice to take both teams off the pitch in the first half<\/a> resulting from {an electrical} storm.
“I wasn’t frightened, however I used to be searching for the gamers,” he stated. “I used to be concerned in a sport in Denmark when the lightning hit certainly one of my gamers, so I understand how harmful it may be.
“The lightning was proper over the stadium, I noticed my gamers’ response and it was the correct factor to return off.”<\/p>\n