Germany beats Denmark 2-0 to advance to Euro 2024 quarterfinals after storm stops play

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Let that patriotic fervor soar. Host nation Germany is headed to the quarterfinals at the European Championship after a wet and wild win over Denmark on Saturday.

“We’re going to Berlin,” sang the jubilant Germany fans who were first battered by rain and hail after a thunderstorm that stopped play for 25 minutes, then saw their team benefit from back-to-back video review calls that helped to set up a 2-0 victory in Dortmund.

Two more wins will take Germany to the capital for the July 14 final, in what could yet turn into a summer fairy tale for a nation whose soccer team is coming out of a sorry run of performances in major tournaments.

It could have been so different against the Danes, though.

The host-nation buzz was burst when, with the score at 0-0, Denmark defender Joachim Andersen swept home a close-range finish that looked to have put his team ahead in the 50th minute. The Video Assistant Referee spotted an offside in the buildup, a free kick was awarded and the ball was played downfield immediately, leading to a cross by David Raum hitting the outstretched right arm of — who else? — Andersen.

The VAR got involved again and a penalty was awarded. Kai Havertz converted the spot kick and Jamal Musiala added a second goal — his third of the tournament, which is tied for the most with Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze — in the 68th.

“We played a super game — we had crazy fans again today,” Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck said. “We’re playing with euphoria, we’re playing with fun, and that’s what the most beautiful thing about football is.”

It was Germany’s first win in the knockout stage of a major tournament since 2016, since when the national team has failed to advance from the group stage at back-to-back World Cups and lost in the last 16 of the last Euros in 2021 to England.

Germany will play Spain or Georgia next and became the second team to advance from the round of 16, after Switzerland beat defending champion Italy 2-0 earlier Saturday.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann told German broadcaster ZDF that he used the rain delay to show his players incidents from the first half-hour of the game which his team dominated, playing the most soccer of the tournament, in his opinion.

Indeed, the players were able to head into the confines of the locker room while thunder, lightning and torrential rain struck, leaving spectators in the front rows particularly exposed as they scrambled higher in the stands. Many used black-yellow-and-red flags they had waved before the match, to welcome the players onto the field, as makeshift umbrellas.

“Oh, how lovely it is,” some sang, and a few Danish supporters danced in waterfalls in the stands.

There was about a 20-minute delay before the rain relented and players re-emerged, undertaking warmups before play resumed a few minutes later. The pitch held up well in the circumstances.

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand was left to rue those crucial couple of minutes when the big VAR decisions were made.

“I have the photo here,” he said, whipping out his phone at the post-match news conference. "It was one centimeter (offside). In terms of statistics and data, it doesn't makes sense. This is not how we are supposed to be using VAR.

“And I am so tired of the ridiculous handball rule. Joachim was running normally. It’s a normal situation.”

Nagelsmann sympathized with Hjulmand, saying: “I would also be annoyed if it was the other way round.”

However, it's Denmark going home and Germany heading to Stuttgart on Friday.

“It was a wild game altogether,” Nagelsmann said.

“We came through adversity in those seconds where it was, ‘Was it a goal or not a goal?’ and ‘Was it handball or not a handball?’ That makes me proud. The team deserves it and hopefully we are getting rid of the old memory stick and understand how good we actually are.”

AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024

Fans dance in the rain while a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament is suspended in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Fans at a fan fest in Berlin celebrate during a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)

Heavy rain falls on the pitch after the referee paused the match due to a thunder and lightning storm during the round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A sign announces that the match has been suspended due to adverse weather during the round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Fans dance in the rain while a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament is suspended in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Denmark's goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel gestures during a round of sixteen match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament against Germany in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Germany's Kai Havertz celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal from a penalty kick next to Denmark's Joachim Andersen during a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Denmark's goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel dives but fails to save the goal from Germany's Kai Havertz during a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Referee Michael Oliver during a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Denmark's Jannik Vestergaard is dejected after a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Denmark's head coach Kasper Hjulmand leaves the pitch after a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Denmark's head coach Kasper Hjulmand hugs Denmark's Joakim Maehle after a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Germany's head coach Julian Nagelsmann waves to the fans after a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. Germany won 2-0. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Germany's Jamal Musiala celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Heavy rain falls on the pitch after the referee paused the match due to a thunder and lightning storm during the round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Rain falls during a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Players leave the pitch after the referee paused the match due to a thunder and lighning storm during the round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Players leave the pitch after the referee paused the match due to a thunder and lightning storm during the round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Due to heavy rain during the a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament is suspend in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Marcus Brandt/dpa via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Chewy fell Monday in volatile trading after a regulatory filing revealed that Roaring Kitty, an investor at the center of the meme stock craze, has taken a 6.6% stake in the online pet retailer.

Roaring Kitty, whose legal name is Keith Gill, bought more than 9 million shares of Chewy last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission filing shows. Based on Friday's $29.05 closing price, that amounts to a value of over $261 million — making him the company's third-largest shareholder.

Shares in Chewy jumped more than 20% before the opening bell. But they ended the day down almost 7%.

Chewy, based in Plantation, Florida, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gill tipped his hand last week on his feelings about the company, posting a picture of a dog on social media platform X and sending Chewy's stock up more than 30% in intraday trading.

Gill made a name for himself in 2021, when he rallied retail investors around GameStop. At the time, the video game retailer was struggling to survive — and big Wall Street hedge funds and major investors were betting against it, or shorting its stock. But Gill and those who agreed with him changed GameStop's trajectory by buying up thousands of shares in the face of almost all accepted metrics that told investors that the company was in serious trouble.

That began what is known as a “short squeeze,” when those big investors that had bet against GameStop were forced to buy its rapidly rising stock to offset their massive losses.

GameStop saw yet another rally in May — when Gill returned online for the first time in three years.

Gill has said he has faith in the ability of GameStop's Chairman and CEO Ryan Cohen to modernize the company after what he did at Chewy. Cohen co-founded Chewy back in 2011. He stepped down from his role of Chewy's CEO in 2018.

Gill’s actions have raised questions about whether he could be accused of stock manipulation. A lawsuit was filed Friday accusing Gill of engaging in a “pump and dump scheme” in regards to GameStop. But a court filing Monday indicated the plaintiff had voluntarily withdrawn the suit.

FILE - The logo for Chewy appears above trading posts on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, June 14, 2019. Shares for Chewy jumped in premarket trading early Monday, July 1, 2024, after a regulatory filing disclosed that Roaring Kitty, an investor at the center of the meme stock craze, had taken a 6.6% stake in the online pet retailer. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)