The storm in Germany did not spare Germany's European Championship round of 16 match. The match in Dortmund had to be interrupted. Nevertheless, the fans are in a relaxed mood.
Germany's European Championship round of 16 match against Denmark in Dortmund was interrupted for a good 25 minutes on Saturday evening due to a heavy thunderstorm. Referee Michael Oliver sent both teams off the pitch in the 35th minute of the match as lightning, thunder and rain swept across the Dortmund stadium.
At 21:59 and after a short warm-up phase, the Englishman blew the whistle to restart the match. This was a "joint decision with the Danes and the referees", announced the German Football Association.
The mood of the more than 60,000 fans in the mostly covered stands remained relaxed during the break. "The match was interrupted due to bad weather conditions," was shown on the video wall. The players went into the dressing rooms.
Fans sing anyway
A heavy downpour fell over the stadium. Refereeing expert Patrick Ittrich said on MagentaTV: "The first priority is to protect the players and spectators. There is no time limit on how long the match will be interrupted. We will wait until the storm has passed."
At times during the break, the fans sang: "Oh, how beautiful it is". Employees swept into a gully on the edge of the pitch and several Danish fans danced in the rainwater falling from the roof. Numerous supporters tried to protect themselves from the rain with flags or banners they had brought with them.