Jesse Marsch and his Canada team are not satisfied with their achievements so far after reaching the Copa America quarter-finals.
A goalless draw with 10-man Chile on Saturday was enough to send Marsch's side into the last eight.
Canada finished second in Group A behind Argentina, and will now face either Venezuela, Ecuador or Mexico in the quarters.
The Reds became the third team from outside CONMEBOL to reach the knockout rounds in their first Copa America appearance after Mexico (1993) and Honduras (2001), but former Leeds United boss Marsch is not done yet.
"We are not satisfied. The group is not satisfied. They want to keep going," Marsch said.
"They know, no matter who our next opponent is, it will be a difficult match. But they believe in themselves. We're excited for this next challenge.
"I'm challenging them to grow and get better, to be more savvy professionals, more mature players.
"I've been incredibly impressed by them, from the first training session. I'm enjoying being their coach. I'm proud of this accomplishment. But again, we're not satisfied."
With their numerical advantage, Canada kept Chile at arm's length at Inter&Co Stadium, restricting the two-time Copa America champions to just 0.52 expected goals (xG).
Max Verstappen said Red Bull made a "good statement" after he secured pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who won the sprint race earlier on Saturday, qualified ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris to take his first pole in four races.
The reigning Formula One world champion was in fine form throughout the session, and will now go for a record-extending fifth Austrian Grand Prix victory.
Verstappen has recorded the most podium finishes (six) and the most fastest laps (four) at the Austrian Grand Prix, and has now also taking the outright most pole positions (four) at the race.
"The whole session went really well. The car was in a better window and I could push a bit more and it was very enjoyable. Every lap I did was feeling good," the Dutchman said.
"It's been a while since we were on pole, and a while since I felt like this in the car, and it's great. The team has been working hard to make the car more competitive and it's a good statement.
"Hopefully it will be a tight battle again but I am not thinking too much about that. I am just thinking about how the car was performing today and hopefully it will translate into race pace."
The Austrian Grand Prix winner has started on the front row on nine of the last 11 occasions (six from pole and three from second).
Norris, who was third in the sprint race, finished ahead of Mercedes George Russell to secure second place behind Verstappen.
He said: "It was as much as we could do. Max was in a league of his own. [He had] more than what we had. Tricky conditions."
Lewis Hamilton secured fifth on the grid, and his hopeful Mercedes can challenge on Sunday.
"All these guys are so quick. It's very close between us all," he said.
"I'm relatively happy with my lap. The middle sector was not as good as I would have liked. If I had got those two perfect would probably have been in the top three but it’s very hard to get a lap.
"We can fight the Ferraris but I don't know if we can fight the McLarens. We'll have to see."
Top 10
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lando Norris (McLaren)
3. George Russell (Mercedes)
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
9. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
10. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement from T20Is on the back of leading India to glory against South Africa.
Kohli, who had endured some indifferent form throughout the T20 World Cup, saved his best for last as he plundered 76 in India's seven-run win over the Proteas on Saturday.
Kohli has played 125 T20Is and is India's second-highest run-scorer in the format, with 4,188 to his name. Only Rohit (4,231 runs in 159 matches) can boast a higher total.
And the duo both confirmed after the match that they would be bowing out of the format.
"This was my last T20 World Cup and this is exactly what we wanted to achieve," Kohli said.
"This is an amazing game, I was telling Rohit today when we went out to bat that one day you feel like you can't get a run, and then you come out and things happen. God is great. I bow my head in gratitude.
"I'm really grateful I was able to get the job done for the team when it mattered the most.
"This is my last T20 game playing for India, my last World Cup I was going to play. I wanted to make the most of it. And this was our aim. We wanted to win an ICC tournament, we wanted to lift the cup.
"This was an open secret, it was not something that I was not going to announce if we'd lost. This was going to be my last T20 World Cup playing for India, it's time for the next generation to take over.
"Two-year cycle, there are some amazing players playing in India, they're going to take the team forward in the T20 format, and do wonders as we've seen them do in the IPL. I've no doubts they'll keep the flag waving high, and really take this team further from here now."
Rohit, who was part of the India squad that won the T20 World Cup in 2007, followed up Kohli's announcement with his own retirement confirmation.
"This was my last [T20I] game as well," Rohit said.
"No better time to say goodbye to this format. I've loved every moment of this. I started my India career playing this format. This is what I wanted, I wanted to win the cup.
"I wanted this badly. Very hard to put in words. It was a very emotional moment for me. I was very desperate for this title in my life. Happy that we eventually crossed the line."
With no shot at progressing beyond the group stages, Jamaica’ senior Reggae Boyz will at least be hoping to salvage some pride from their final Group B contest to possibly end another failed Copa America campaign on a high in Austin, Texas.
Kickoff is 7:00pm Jamaica time.
The Boyz, who lost 0-1 to Mexico and 1-3 to Ecuador, will now have group leaders Venezuela to contend with, which means their task of securing an historic point or win at the prestigious CONMEBOL tournament that much more difficult.
However, the feat is by no means beyond the Jamaicans, and with Michail Antonio already accounting for their maiden goal at the tournament, it should lift their confidence significantly.
In fact, if the head-to-head statistics is anything to go by, then it puts the Boyz in good stead, as Jamaica has won two of six meetings with their South American counterpart, with one ending in a stalemate. This will be their second meeting in the Copa America, with the first being in the Centenario 2016 (USA), where Venezuela registered a 1-0 win.
Knowing very well that his team can compete at this level, Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson pointed out that the aim is for nothing less than a win. But, to achieve the feat, they will require a more compact display in the midfield, fluent passing, and certainly more creativity in the attacking third.
“We are going for for the win in this game,” Hallgrimsson declared in a pre-game press conference.
“Of course, we hoped and wished that we were in a different position than where we are, but it is what it is. There is good morale and the players are happy and together, and I give them a lot of credit for the atmosphere still in the camp. So we go into this match wanting to win for a lot of reasons that are important for us to get a win,” he added.
The Boyz are rooted at the foot of the standing without a point, with Venezuela on maximum six points from two games, while Ecuador and Mexico, on three points each, will do battle for the second spot to the quarter-finals.
Despite Venezuela’s current vein of form, Hallgrimsson believes they are by no means infallible.
“Well, they are the surprise package of the tournament, I would say. We have analysed them before and we knew they are a hard-working, honest team with great individuals. But, how they have performed, especially with the confidence they have displayed now, is impressive to see,” he said of the opponents.
“For the players, it is just margins that we can control that made it that we don’t have a point today. We go into this match knowing that we can get a win for sure, but there is balance,” he noted.
Still, the Icelandic coach pointed out that regardless of the outcome, the Boyz have shown glimpses of their potential to prove formidable at the highest level. This he believes is a significant positive, especially as they target a successful World Cup qualifying campaign.
“No matter what the result will be, I think this is a really important tournament for Jamaica in working towards qualifying for the World Cup 2026, and probably the closest thing to the World Cup that we can participate in,” the tactician reasoned.
“There has been a lot of questions about whether we are good enough to qualify for the World Cup. With how we’ve played Mexico and how we’ve played Ecuador, who played in Qatar World Cup, we’ve matched them in some areas. So, if anyone were to doubt if Jamaica can qualify for the World Cup 2026, I hope that some doubts are gone,” Hallgrimsson stated.
Manny Machado homered twice and drove in five runs and Jackson Merrill had three hits, including a home run, to lead the streaking San Diego Padres to an 11-1 rout of the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
Machado hit a two-run homer in the third inning off Tanner Houck and added a three-run shot in the fifth to extend the lead to 8-0.
It was the 40th career multihomer game for Machado, who is 17 for 41 (.415) with four home runs and 12 RBIs in his last 10 games.
Bryce Sullivan also went deep as the Padres (46-41) won their season-high fifth straight and ninth in 10 contests to move five games over .500.
Michael King limited the Red Sox to one run and five hits over six innings with one walk and six strikeouts.
Houck was tagged for a career-worst eight runs in 4 1/3 innings on his 28th birthday, raising his ERA from an AL-best 2.18 entering the day to 2.67.
Jarren Duran homered for Boston, which has been outscored 29-7 during a three-game skid after an 8-1 stretch.
Astros score 8 unanswered to rally past Mets
Alex Bregman delivered a two-run single to cap a three-run eighth and the Houston Astros rallied from five down for a 9-6 victory over the New York Mets.
Jake Meyers hit an early home run and Jeremy Pena triggered the comeback with a two-run double during a three-run fourth against starter Tylor Megill.
The Astros drew four walks and had just one hit in the decisive eighth inning. Reed Garrett threw a run-scoring wild pitch before Bregman’s line single to right scored two to give Houston a 7-6 lead.
Maurico Dubon added some insurance with a two-run double in the ninth and the Astros won for the 11th time in 15 games.
Mark Vientos homered and Jose Iglesias had three hits for the Mets, who had won four straight and 16 of 20.
Kjerstad’s slam lifts Orioles
Rookie Heston Kjerstad hit his first career grand slam and Anthony Santander added his 13th home run this month as the Baltimore Orioles held on for their fourth straight win, 6-5 over the reeling Texas Rangers.
The Orioles became the third team in MLB history to hit at least 60 homers in a calendar month, joining the 2023 Atlanta Braves (61 in June) and the 2019 Yankees (74 in August).
Baltimore has gone deep 14 times in its last five games and leads the majors with 139.
Cade Povich earned his first major league win after allowing two runs – both on homers – and five hits in five innings.
Craig Kimbel walked two in the ninth but got Adolis Garcia to fly out for the final out for his 19th save.
Corey Seager, Derek Hill, Nathaniel Lowe and Garcia homered for the Rangers, who matched a season high with their sixth straight loss and dropped their ninth in a row on the road.
Seager left in the fifth inning after he was hit on his left wrist by a pitch from Povich. The Rangers said X-rays on the wrist were negative, and the four-time All-Star would be evaluated Sunday.
Lautaro Martinez's fine goalscoring form continued as he sealed top spot for Argentina in Group A, with a 2-0 victory over Peru, who were eliminated from the competition.
With Lionel Messi out due to a groin injury, the forward stepped up, scoring at the start and end of the second half to ease any nerves after a slow first 45 minutes at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Leandro Paredes' miss from the penalty spot did not prove costly as Peru failed to threaten in what was a must-win game.
Argentina will face the runner-up of Group B in their quarter-final, while Canada take second place in the group after their 0-0 draw with Chile, while Peru make an early exit.
With a place in the quarter-finals already secured, Argentina made a slow start to the game - Alejandro Garnacho's deflected curler was their only chance in the opening 25 minutes.
The goalkeeper was required to keep things level shortly after, getting a strong hand to stop Paredes' whipped free-kick from heading into the top-left corner.
Giovani Lo Celso was then picked out on the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time, but Gallese parried his first-time shot before Garnacho fired the rebound just over the crossbar.
The half-time team talk worked wonders for Argentina, as Angel Di Maria cut Peru's defence wide open by picking out Martinez, who deftly chipped the opener over Gallese just two minutes into the second half.
Nicolas Tagliafico thought he had doubled their tally moments later, poking over the line from a corner, but it was disallowed as Lo Celso was blocking the goalkeeper's view from an offside position.
Argentina had another chance to double their lead in the 69th minute, with Jesus Castillo penalised for a handball as he slid in to block Paredes' cross in the box, and the midfielder could not profit, rattling the inside of the post with a powerful spot-kick.
In an almost carbon copy of his first goal, Martinez raced in behind once again in the 86th minute and lifted a lovely effort over Gallese, who could not get a hand to it.
Franco Zanelatto almost salvaged some pride for La Blanquirroja in the dying moments, but his thumping header bounced off the near post and, agonisingly, along the face of goal.
Martinez retains golden touch
Though Argentina were already into the quarter-finals with a game to spare, it felt like they might not be at their best without talisman Messi and manager Lionel Scaloni, who was serving a touchline ban.
However, Martinez has stepped up in this tournament, scoring in all three of their group games as he leads the race for the Golden Boot with four goals to his name.
His first two strikes both came off the bench, with his late winner sending the Albiceleste into the knockout stages against Chile, and he made the most of his first start in the tournament with an early goal in the second half.
It is just the third time this century that Argentina have won all three of their group games - the last two times (2007, 2016) they finished as runners-up, but Scaloni will be hoping they can go one better and defend their title this time around.
Peru go out with a whimper
This year's Copa America has been a tournament to forget for Peru, who go out of the tournament with just one point to their name - it is the first time they have been eliminated without a single victory since 1995.
La Blanquirroja needed a win to have a chance of snagging second spot, with hope that Canada and Chile played out a draw in the other Group A game.
However, they managed just six shots in the game, creating an expected goals of 0.14, and finish the tournament with a meagre tally of 22 efforts from their three matches without hitting the back of the net.
It was always going to be a tough ask to get a win against the defending champions, even with all of their changes, but Peru's starting front three of Bryan Reyna, Paolo Guerrero and Edison Flores not managing a single shot did not make matters easier.
Marseille have confirmed the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as their new head coach.
It was announced on Tuesday that the club had agreed a deal in principle with the Italian, before confirming he has signed a three-year contract on Saturday.
In a statement to the club website, De Zerbi said: "I'm delighted to be joining Olympique de Marseille, as I had a very strong desire to join the club.
"The history and prestige that surround OM, the passion and fervour of its supporters, and the seriousness and enthusiasm shown to me by Frank [McCourt], Pablo [Longoria] and Medhi [Banatia] were all decisive factors in my decision to embark on this exciting challenge.
"I can't wait to sit on the bench at the Orange Velodrome, this time as OM coach, and help the club regain the position that Marseille deserves."
De Zerbi, whose shock departure from Brighton was announced the day before the end of the 2023-24 season, led the Seagulls to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League after taking over from Graham Potter in 2022, securing European football for the first time in their history.
Brighton topped their Europa League group, beating Marseille in the process, but were knocked out by Roma in the round of 16 before slumping to an 11th-place finish in the league.
The French side, meanwhile, went through three managers last season, with Jean-Louis Gasset overseeing the end of the campaign as Marseille finished eighth in Ligue 1, outside the European places.
Julian Nagelsmann believes Germany will feel no added pressure after playing their "best" football at Euro 2024 so far during their 2-0 win over Denmark.
Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala both scored in the second half to send Germany through to the quarter-finals, though it was a game that also had three disallowed goals and a near-30-minute break in the first half due to a storm in Dortmund.
Despite that, Germany remained in control for large parts of the game, though Nagelsmann pointed out there is still room for improvement before they face either Spain or Georgia in the next round.
"The first 20 minutes of the game was the best we've played at the tournament and then the rain break unsettled everyone," Nagelsmann said.
"Denmark didn't have a shot in the first half, but in the second half put more pressure on us. There's a lot of work to do ahead of the quarter-finals, we need to be a little more patient in the build-up phase and wait for our moments."
Asked if the fans' expectations will rise after Germany won their first knockout game for eight years, Nagelsmann added: "I think we have no more pressure than usual. I think the fans and also the expectation of our fans is a big push for us.
"We can deal with the pressure. For me, it's still a privilege, and we also tell the players it's a privilege to play soccer games under pressure. All the players are used to dealing with it, so it's no problem."
Nico Schlotterbeck was one of those denied by VAR after he thought he had scored his first goal for the national team after just five minutes before it was disallowed for a foul in the build-up.
He later set up Musiala's strike though, with the defender echoing the praise of their manager.
"I think we had a super game and hope that the fans in Dortmund enjoyed it," said Schlotterbeck. "I'm very happy for the team, it's reward for the hard work.
"The break for the rain, we handled well. We played with euphoria and with pleasure, and now we go to Stuttgart [for the quarter-final]."
Sergino Dest has completed a permanent move to PSV from Barcelona, signing a four-year contract with the club.
The defender joined PSV on loan at the start of last season, helping them to win their first Eredivisie title in six years.
He made 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and adding seven assists.
PSV's loan deal for Dest included a future option to buy, with the Dutch side now choosing to trigger that, signing him on a free transfer that will keep him at the club until 2028.
"PSV believe in me and I feel greatly appreciated here," said Dest.
"I'm really looking forward to playing again, being important and winning titles."
Dest joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2020, making 51 league appearances in his first two seasons before loan spells at Milan in 2022-23 and PSV.
Luis de la Fuente says Spain will not make the mistake of underestimating Euro 2024 surprise package Georgia in the round of 16.
Spain cruised through the so-called 'group of death', winning all three of their games against Croatia, Italy and Albania without conceding a single goal.
Meanwhile, Georgia progressed as one of the best third-place teams after stunning Euro 2016 champions Portugal with a 2-0 victory in their final group game.
La Roja also met Georgia in Euro 2024 qualifying, earning a memorable 7-1 victory in the away fixture.
However, De la Fuente was quick to praise the improvement in their opponents since that meeting, noting that Spain had to expect a bigger challenge this time around.
"It was a very important game for us, we arrived [in Georgia] under a lot of pressure, and we came back from that game as a family, a lot stronger than before," said De la Fuente.
"The most important game is always the next one and now a different European Championship starts. We are bracing for a very difficult game, and we will go with the best weapons we have to get out with a win.
"We all have seen surprising things happen in football and I don't think that will stop happening.
"Georgia beat Portugal, we have to respect them as opponents, work hard and take the game with the importance that it has so it doesn't happen to us.
"They are fast in the counter-attack and very good in the set-pieces. We need to be vigilant and aware, so we don't end up exposed to counter-attacks in speed."
The knockout rounds of Euro 2024 got underway on Saturday, with the first two teams booking their places in the quarter-finals.
Switzerland stunned the defending champions, sending Italy home after a 2-0 victory in Berlin.
Later, Germany also prevailed by the same scoreline to take a step closer to potential success on home soil, beating Denmark.
Here, we round up the best Opta statistics from the first set of Euro 2024 round-of-16 ties.
Switzerland 2-0 Italy: Vargas ends Azzurri defence
The teams on Switzerland's side of the draw will be looking over their shoulders after they dumped Italy out, largely thanks to Ruben Vargas' standout performance.
He set up Remo Freuler's opener before curling in a stunning effort himself, becoming the first Swiss player to score and assist in a knockout match of a major tournament on record (since 1966 - World Cup and Euros).
The winger's strike came just 27 seconds after kick-off in the second period, the second-fastest goal in the second half of a Euros match after Marcel Coras netted against West Germany within 21 seconds in Euro 1984.
Switzerland will face either England or Slovakia in the quarter-finals, reaching the last eight in consecutive editions after failing to make it out of their group in three of their previous four participations in the competition (reached the last 16 in 2016).
Despite being reigning champions, Italy were not touted as one of the favourites going into the tournament, and they struggled to mount a real title defence.
Their early exit means the reigning champions have been eliminated in the round of 16 at each of the last three European Championships, with Portugal losing to Belgium at Euro 2020 and Spain going out to Italy at Euro 2016.
In fact, Italy conceded more goals at Euro 2024 (five) than they did in seven matches at the last edition of the tournament, when they conceded just four goals on their way to lifting the trophy.
The Azzurri have ended a run of six games without defeat in the knockout stages (90 minutes only, three wins, three draws), with their last such defeat coming in the 2012 final against Spain, by a 4-0 scoreline.
This is also the first time they have lost more than one match at a single edition of the Euros.
Germany 2-0 Denmark: Musiala draws level in scoring charts
With plenty of VAR drama, and a break midway through the first half due to adverse weather, it was certainly an entertaining tie in Dortmund.
Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala were the heroes for the hosts with their second-half goals, with the latter netting for the third time in the tournament to put him level with Georges Mikautadze in the Golden Boot race.
In fact, only Wayne Rooney (four) has scored more goals aged 21 or younger at the Euros than Musiala (three), while the midfielder has also scored more goals in four games at this tournament than he managed in his first 29 appearances for the national side (two).
Germany are into their first quarter-final at a major tournament since Euro 2016 - reaching the semi-finals on that occasion - and their four-game unbeaten run at Euro 2024 is their longest streak in such matches since then.
Manuel Neuer continues to break appearance records every time he steps on the pitch - he now has the most caps at the European Championships for Die Nationalelf (19, overtaking Bastian Schweinsteiger), while it was his 39th appearance at major tournaments overall, levelling the midfielder's tally.
After another toothless performance in front of goal, Denmark will not be able to recreate their run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020. Indeed, they have failed to win any of their last eight games at major tournaments (four draws, four defeats).
Eduardo Camavinga is not happy with playing a limited role for France at Euro 2024, but he will remain patient in the knowledge he will get his opportunity eventually.
Camavinga was a regular for Real Madrid as they won the Champions League and LaLiga in 2023-24, playing 2,825 minutes across 46 games, 32 of them starts.
However, he has not been able to win a place in Didier Deschamps' preferred France midfield at the Euros, with N'Golo Kante returning to the setup to play alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot.
Camavinga played just 48 minutes in substitute appearances against Austria and Poland in the group stage and is not expected to force his way into the lineup for Monday's last-16 clash with Belgium.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, the versatile 21-year-old said he was unhappy with the situation but has faith his chance will come.
"This is not a positive outcome for me. The fact that I don't play much doesn't necessarily make me happy," Camavinga said.
"I know that one day or another, my time will come. You have to be ready, like at the World Cup when the coach asked me to come on in the final.
"You have to be ready during training. Me, before matches, I do the same thing, I listen to music, I do my warm-ups.
"If my head is right, my legs will follow. A competition is not played with 11 players. The most important thing is to be focused until the end."
Camavinga also had limited gametime at the 2022 World Cup, appearing twice and starting once as France reached the final but lost on penalties to Argentina.
In that final – a thrilling 3-3 draw that featured a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick – Camavinga came on at left-back after illness struck the France camp.
He has also played in that position for his club, but he maintains central midfield is his preferred role, saying: "I still don't enjoy it, that hasn't changed.
"But I'm a team player. If I have to play full-back again, I will. But it remains a position that I do not like."
Camavinga will not come up against his Madrid team-mate Thibaut Courtois on Monday, as the goalkeeper was left out of Belgium's squad despite returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury shortly before the end of the season.
Courtois has been frozen out since he stormed out of Domenico Tedesco's camp last year, and Camavinga says his absence will benefit Les Bleus.
"Him not playing is a good thing for us," Camavinga said. "Belgium are a great footballing nation, with great players.
"The group stage is the past for them, like for us, and I think mentally, the Belgians will be stronger. This remains a team that can surprise us at any time."
Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin knew his team would "destroy" Italy in the last 16 at Euro 2024 when he saw the Azzurri had made a change of formation.
Switzerland are into the European Championship quarter-finals for just the second time after beating the defending champions 2-0 in Berlin, having also reached the last eight by claiming the scalp of France at Euro 2020.
Yakin's team were good value for their victory, leading Italy for shots (13 to 11), shots on target (four to one), expected goals (1.3 to 0.78 xG) and touches in the penalty area (24 to 12).
Azzurri boss Luciano Spalletti made several changes to his starting lineup for the match, reverting to his usual 4-3-3 shape after employing a 3-5-2 versus Croatia in their last group game.
After that match – a 1-1 draw which saw Italy sneak through Group B in second place – Spalletti hit out at reports that his players had forced the change of system.
Yakin believes Italy's revised setup played into the hands of his team on Saturday, telling SRF: "It's unbelievable what's going on here. We've enjoyed ourselves in every stadium. Big praise to the fans.
"I knew if the Italians came with a back four, we would destroy them. Then we would let them run.
"Dan [Ndoye] closed down the midfield. His man, [Stephan] El Shaarawy, hardly saw the ball."
Switzerland will now face either England or Slovakia in the last eight next Saturday, as they bid to reach the semi-finals of a major tournament for the very first time.
Yakin has no preference regarding his team's next opponent, saying: "You'd have to ask the fans if they prefer England or Slovakia.
"We won an important game, and that's crucial. As for what happens tomorrow, and what comes after that, we'll prepare well again for our next opponents."
England face Slovakia in their last-16 tie on Sunday, with the Three Lions looking to reach the last eight at back-to-back editions of the Euros for the first time ever.
Euro 2024 hosts Germany booked their place in the quarter-finals, with Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala scoring in a 2-0 victory over Denmark on Saturday.
The tournament's joint-leading scorer, Musiala, curled in a wonderful strike after Havertz's spot-kick to send Denmark crashing out of the tournament.
Nico Schlotterbeck and Joachim Andersen were earlier denied openers following VAR reviews early in each half, while the game was also paused for close to half an hour amid a torrential downpour in Dortmund.
At the end of a dramatic encounter, Denmark are heading home while Germany have set up a meeting with either Spain or Georgia in Stuttgart on Friday.
Denmark got an early let-off as Schlotterbeck saw what would have been his first international goal ruled out for a foul by Joshua Kimmich in the build-up, after the defender headed home from a corner inside four minutes.
Germany kept the pressure on, with Kasper Schmeichel making a string of fine saves to keep out Kimmich, Schlotterbeck and Kai Havertz before Antonio Rudiger smothered Christian Eriksen’s shot at the other end.
A heavy storm brought the first half to a halt after 35 minutes but a near-30-minute break only revitalised Germany, with Havertz's header smothered by Schmeichel before Schlotterbeck sent another effort just wide.
On the stroke of half-time, the hosts' defence was cut wide open, but Manuel Neuer rushed out to smother Rasmus Hojlund’s first-time effort.
There was more drama early in the second half as Andersen, who coolly drilled his strike into the back of the net, was also denied a first international goal for a tight offside call against Thomas Delaney.
At the other end, the defender was then penalised as David Raum's cross struck his arm in the box, and with a penalty awarded after a VAR review, Havertz slotted into the bottom-right corner.
Havertz looked sure to double his tally minutes later after a lovely bit of skill to get in behind Denmark, only to dink his shot over Schmeichel and wide of the far post, while Neuer stood tall to deny Hojlund as Denmark chased an equaliser.
However, Germany got their all-important second through Musiala in the 68th minute, moving it upfield in three passes before the youngster curled in his third goal of Euro 2024.
Florian Wirtz thought he had added some gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time when he poked the ball into an empty net, but he became the third man to be denied by an offside decision.
Havertz closing in on greats
Havertz made a crucial impact for Germany in the second half, despite missing a host of golden opportunities throughout the game.
His penalty was his fourth goal at the Euros overall, with only Jurgen Klinsmann and Mario Gomez, who each found the back of the net five times in the competition, scoring more for Die Nationalelf at the tournament.
He could have moved to the top of that list against Denmark, having five shots in total and missing two big chances.
Meanwhile, Neuer made yet more history at the Euros, making his 19th appearance in the competition to overtake Bastian Schweinsteiger’s national record of 18.
Denmark struggle again
Group C was notoriously short on goalmouth action, with Denmark responsible for two of the seven goals scored, and they continued that trend against Germany.
Before this game, Eriksen was directly involved in 55% of Denmark's 42 shots in that group, attempting 10 and creating 13. He was the creative spark for them in Dortmund too, having (two) shots and creating a further (two) chances.
It has been a tough run at major tournaments for the Red and Whites lately, having only won three of their last 16 matches (seven draws, six losses), with this loss stretching their winless streak to eight such games.
The last time Denmark faced Germany in the knockout stages of a major tournament, they beat them 2-0 in the Euro 1992 final. While Kasper Hjulmand would have hoped that was a good omen, it did not turn out to be the case.
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