At the Women's European Championship, German fans achieve what the men rarely achieve

The 40th minute was a key moment in Germany's match against Denmark . Sjoeke Nüsken was already at the penalty spot with the ball, but she never took the penalty. The Danish player Thögersen had gotten hold of the ball just outside the penalty area. Therefore, the VAR converted the penalty call into a free kick.

The German fans then demonstrated a very keen sense of the game and what their team needed. After the almost obligatory whistles during minute-long VAR stoppages , the white wall with the pink dots (many wearing the iconic jerseys from the 2024 men's European Championship) didn't remain silent or continue whistling. Instead, they started singing and urging the German women forward.

The result is overwhelmingly superior Germany, who ultimately reward themselves with a penalty and a slapstick goal , setting the already smoldering stadium on fire. Even when things threatened to get tight again at the end, the fans carried the DFB women over the finish line and helped secure the victory.

What happened on Tuesday in Basel was just a continuation of the brilliant opening match in St. Gallen. Against Poland, the stadium was firmly in German hands, and the fans sang, clapped, and cheered their team on. In both stadiums, over half the spectators were German fans. In Basel, around 17,000 German fans were in the stands – the previous record was not only tripled, it was shattered. What was particularly striking: the German block, the white wall, was back.

Normally, people go to international matches involving Germany because both the men and women represent good football. When that was no longer the case in recent years, attendance declined—why else would anyone attend a DFB international match?

When Germany wins its opening match against Scotland in Munich, the German fans are allowed to cheer six times (a goal by Niklas Füllkrug doesn't count after all) – and that's the end of the moments when you can hear the home crowd. The clearly inferior Scots, on the other hand, sing their hearts out and celebrate twice more frenetically than the Germans for all their goals combined: when Füllkrug's goal is disallowed and when the Scots themselves have something to celebrate thanks to an own goal by Antonio Rüdiger. The winners in the stands: Clearly the visitors.

That most of them aren't die-hard ultras? Is that even a positive thing, because they're still approachable. When the knocked-out Danish player Snerle leaves the pitch, the German fans also applauded. Any trouble with other fans around the games? None.

So far, German fans in Switzerland have been celebrating one big celebration, focusing on their team's matches. They're already safely through to the quarterfinals and will give their fans at least one more game. But if the white wall continues like this, Germany will win more than just hearts in Switzerland. Then there will be real cheering at the end.