Joachim Andersen has disagreed with the decisions by VAR in Denmark’s 2-0 loss to Germany in the Euro 2024 round of 16 on Saturday.
The Crystal Palace centre-back thought he had put the Danes ahead in the 48th minute but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Few moments later, Andersen was adjudged to have committed a handball offence in the penalty area which resulted in a spot kick converted by Kai Havertz before Jamal Musiala put the game to bed.
“Yeah, it was an even game. And then in the end, it was the referee who decided the game for us. It’s the smallest offside I have ever seen in my career, to be honest. But of course, offside is offside,” Andersen said reflecting on the game.
“And then to give a penalty in this situation is for me is a crazy decision. Now, I’ve been playing in the Premier League for four years and the last two years, the referees before every season they come and explain all the rules. And this…they spoke about many times: the hand rule. And this is never a penalty.
“This is a half metre beside me and kicks the ball on my hand. What do you want me to do? That…they said that it’ll be black or white. That will never be a penalty. And now a English ref gives this as a penalty. So, for me it’s a crazy decision.”
EM slutter desværre her for os.
Vi er skuffede lige nu, og det er hårdt at skulle rejse hjem, men om noget tid vil vi sikkert kunne kigge tilbage og være stolte over, hvad vi har opnået til dette EM sammen med alle de danske fans.
Vi vil gerne sige en kæmpestor tak til alle… pic.twitter.com/c3NXKfzEjj
— Fodboldlandsholdene 🇩🇰 (@dbulandshold) June 29, 2024
Reflecting on the VAR decision, Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said:
“…We were under pressure in the first 15 minutes, it was pure survival. After those 15 minutes, the game was more balanced. It was decided by two VAR decisions. I have the photo here, it was one centimetre [offside].
“In terms of statistics and data, it doesn’t make sense. This is not the way we are supposed to be using VAR. It’s one centimetre. And after two minutes there was a penalty. I am so tired of the ridiculous handball rule. We cannot demand our defenders to be running with the arms like this [behind their backs]. It’s not natural.
“Joachim [Andersen] was running normally. It’s a normal situation. He jumped up and was hit from one metre. I rarely talk about these decisions, but it was really decisive for this game. It’s frustrating for our team…”
Denmark’s defeat denied them the chance to make back-to-back Euros quarter-final appearances for the first time ever while Germany carry on with their hopes of lifting the title (on home soil) for the first time in 28 years.
