The German soccer team started the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand with a 6-0 (2-0) win over Morocco. The team of coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg showed an inspiring performance on Monday (07/24/2023) in Melbourne over long phases of the game.
In the form shown in the Rectangular Stadium, the selection of the German Football Association (DFB) is certainly one of the narrowest circle of title contenders. However, World Cup newcomers Morocco were also unable to put the record European champions through their paces.
But that should not belittle the German performance. After all, some other big nations have had a hard time against outsiders in their opening games at the Oceania tournament. Meanwhile, the DFB team did their job with remarkable ease.
Captain Alexandra Popp (11th, 29th), Klara Bühl (46th), own goals from Ait El Haj (54th) and Yasmin Mrabet (79th) as well as Lea Schüller (90th) ensured the double world champion’s resounding victory.
Voss-Tecklenburg: “Won’t take off now”
“We are super, super happy that we were able to play such an opening game. You don’t always know beforehand where you stand and how your opponent is really going to act. We stayed true to ourselves and pushed our game through,” said Popp on ZDF. Voss-Tecklenburg tried not to overestimate the success despite the highest victory so far at this World Cup. “We did it really well and solidly. Today we are satisfied – no more and no less,” explained the national coach.
With a view to the second group game next Sunday (07/30/2023, 11:30 a.m. CEST) against Colombia, the 55-year-old said: “We know that the next big task is now upon us. We won’t take off now.”
German starting eleven without Hegering and Oberdorf
As expected, Voss-Tecklenburg had waived the starting eleven nominations for the ailing Wolfsburg women Marina Hegering and Lena Oberdorf. Frankfurt’s Sara Doorsoun replaced defense chief Hegering in the starting line-up, England legionnaire Melanie Leupolz represented Oberdorf on the “six”. Tactically, the national coach relied on a 4-2-1-3 formation for the duel with the 72nd in the FIFA world rankings. In possession of the ball – and the record European champions had a lot of it from the very first minute – right-back Svenja Huth moved into midfield.
DFB team aggressive and with an early lead
“Get the opponent moving” and bring your own “offensive power” to bear – with these guidelines “MVT” sent their team onto the pitch. And the players had apparently listened very carefully to the 55-year-old. The speed and sharpness of the pass were just as good as the running paths.
With fast ball relays, an attempt was made to pull the compact Moroccan defense apart. The outside attackers Bühl and Jule Brand played a very special role, as did Huth, who tirelessly ran up and down the sidelines. They wanted to feed center forward Popp with balls off the wings.
A plan that quickly worked out – but with the friendly support of the “Lionesses from Atlas”. Yasmin Katie Mrabet Slack first played the ball unchallenged into Brand’s feet, then keeper Khadija Errmichi ran under the Wolfsburg cross, so that DFB captain Popp had no trouble putting the ball in the net in her 129th international match. It was her 63rd goal for the national team.
Pop from two too opponents unstoppable
The Moroccans, whose good defense work both Switzerland and Italy had lost their teeth in in preparation for the World Cup and were only able to draw 0-0, were by no means shocked by the early deficit. Coach Reynald Pedros’ team then intensified their attacking efforts and showed some good approaches. In the last third of the field, however, the World Cup newcomer lacked ideas, determination and penetrating power.
An Alexandra Popp would undoubtedly have done the North Africans good in the center of the attack. But the trained animal keeper runs for Germany, much to the chagrin of the “Lionesses from Atlas”. Because Morocco had hardly anything to counter the force of the Wolfsburg player. In their 2-0 win, the captain beat two opponents and steered a corner kick from Bühl into the net with her shoulder as she fell.
With her 64th international goal, “Poppi” drew level with the current Swiss national coach Inka Grings in the list of German record shooters. Only the legendary attackers Heidi Mohr (83 goals) and Birgit Prinz (128th) are ahead of the all-rounder.
Tagnaout fritters away best Morocco chance
The Moroccans can only dream of goals like this in their national kit. Why? They showed that just before the break when they managed to break through the German defense, but then Fatima Tagnaout suddenly lost a lot of speed and stumbled the ball in front of the storming keeper Merle Frohms (41′). The big chance to score a goal, which might have changed the statics of the game, was missed.
Buehl takes care of that preliminary decision
Germany was therefore warned and, after the change of sides, accordingly tried to make the preliminary decision quickly. It was successful because the record European champion continued to work with a lot of fun and even more speed. After Lina Magull failed because of the aluminum, Bühl made it 3-0 with a low shot into the far corner. Morocco were also happy about a goal shortly afterwards – but only for a few seconds. Because Anissa Lahmari had been offside with her technically fine flick (53rd).
Moroccans scored two own goals
And so, a little later, Hanane Ait El Haj involuntarily went down in history as the North African women’s first goalscorer at the World Cup. The 28-year-old defender unhappily jumped the ball after a Huth cross and from there into her own case. The same fate befell Redouani in the 79th minute, whose attempt to clear the line was an attempt. Previously, keeper Errmichi had repeatedly tried in vain to hold on to a ball after a corner kick from Felicitas Rauch.
The 32-year-old was the big weak point for the outsider, who, with the exception of a few offensive scenes, made a hardly competitive impression anyway. There was chaos again in Morocco’s back line when it was 6-0 thanks to substitute Schüller, who scored at the far post. The “Lionesses from Atlas” – they were found food for the voracious Germans.