Nagelsmann: Germany will not feel added pressure in Euro 2024

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.”

Hosts Germany are into the quarter-finals! #EURO2024 | #GERDEN pic.twitter.com/p4UJY4HdsV

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 29, 2024

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].”