Germany is eliminated from the European Championship after a nerve -wracking thriller against Spain. Some players shone on the way there – others did not.
Kim Steinke reports from Zurich
The European Championship of Women in Switzerland is approaching the home straight. After a mixed group phase, but the stronger K.-O. round, Germany missed the move into the final. Against Spain, the team of national coach Christian Wück retired 0-1 in extra time.
While the world champion meets defending champion England on Sunday (from 9 p.m. in the T-Online Live ticker), the DFB women had to accept a bitter damper against Sweden (1: 4) in the third group game. In the quarter-finals against France (6: 5 in penalty shootout), Germany played up again, bowled the tournament with favorites from the European Championship.
The spectacular victory and the defeats against Sweden and Spain have provided the German team some findings, both positively and negative. All of this was overlaid by injuries by Giulia Gwinn (inner band) and Sarai Linder (capsule band in the ankle) as well as a supposed goalkeeper debate and two red cards.
T-Online draws a conclusion after the semi-finals-and presents the winners and losers of the tournament in Switzerland.
Germany’s goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger Experienced an ups and downs of the feelings. In the group phase, she was still criticized for her risky style of play, with which she let her opponents run into the void again and again – or how to put two possible goals against Sweden with hair -raising passports. The criticism of the 34-year-old did not become the game of national coach Wück Gefalle, observers made themselves strong for a change in the German goal.
And Berger? She remained unimpressed. Although she had to grab a total of seven times in five games, she demonstrated her class particularly in the knockout phase when she had all football Germany rave about a spectacular parade in a duel with France. “World class,” said Titan Oliver Kahn, “Madness”, summed up her teammates. And as if that weren’t enough, she parried two penalty and turned yourself. Berger kept Germany’s dream of the European Championship final alive.
Against Spain, she remained flawlessly for a long time, parried twice-strong within the 90 minutes from a short distance against the current EM goalkeeper Queen Esther Gonzalez. Then came the 113th minute. Berger opened the short corner – and Spain punished this with a stroke of genius. A fatal mistake that the Bergers class must not reduce.
A stroke of genius could also be found in the nominations of Carlotta Wamser and Franziska Kett designate. The two players had traveled to Switzerland with two and three international matches in their vita. They wanted to play and show up without pressure – and were suddenly thrown into the cold water. After only 36 minutes in the opening game against Poland (2-0), Wamser replaced replaced Giulia Gwinn. She scored two goals against the EM debutant and Sweden. It remained stable on the defensive – but also proved itself in the wrong place.
In the 1: 4 she saw red after a spectacular parade in her own penalty area. Although Wamser was missing against France, she continued against Spain where she had stopped. With her first duel won seconds after kick -off, Wamser set an example against the dominant Spaniards. The Neu-Leverkusener also exuded danger aggressively-and even had the chance of the supposed winning goal in the 90th minute +4.