Almost 90,000 fans will be at Wembley on Sunday – and most will be for England. The German players get their motivation from that. However, Klara Bühl will be absent.
Almost 90,000 fans will be at Wembley on Sunday for the final between England and Germany, most of them pro-England. But the German players aren’t worried, they’re getting additional motivation from that. However, Klara Bühl will miss the final.
Of course, the DFB and the players make full use of their ticket contingent. And the tickets that were circulated at short notice after the German semi-final victory against France (2:1) were sold out immediately. Nevertheless, the vast majority of the almost 90,000 fans at the final on Sunday (07/31/2022/6 p.m. CEST, live on Erste and sportschau.de) will keep their fingers crossed for England.
My anticipation is huge, especially because the whole stadium will be against us. I like this.
The German women are looking forward to a very special atmosphere: “We deserve the final. I’m really looking forward to it, especially because the whole stadium will be against us. I like that,” stressed Lena Oberdorf. And “Torminator” Alexandra Popp also explained: “I think it’s really cool when many people are against one. I hope for 90 cool minutes.”
German team young but experienced enough
In any case, there is no trace of fear or worry before the decisive duel with the English women. “We haven’t all just been in business since yesterday,” said Kathrin Hendrich, who admitted, however, that she had been “very emotional” in the past few days. On the first night in the new hotel she could hardly sleep because she had so much going through her head. She also deliberately puts her cell phone down every now and then: “If there’s something about us somewhere, then I usually click next or close the app.”
Popp: “Have already exceeded all expectations”
However, Hendrich and Co. are receiving mainly positive news these days. They also caused enthusiasm in Germany with their performances. 12.19 million people watched the semifinals on TV. And so, regardless of the outcome of the final, the team will also be welcomed at the Römer in Frankfurt. “Nobody expected us. And suddenly we’re there. We have nothing left to lose, we’ve already exceeded all expectations. Everything that comes now is an absolute bonus,” emphasized Popp.
The captain had impressively demonstrated the German looseness at the daily press conference on Friday. To the laughter of the journalists present and some teammates who had slipped unnoticed into the back of the room to watch the spectacle, Popp had revealed a glued-on mustache under her mask, which she glued on in reference to some jokes on social media would have.
“We’re very relaxed, but also focused on the match. The pressure is more on the English side,” said Popp. “We know that from the home World Cup in 2011. Suddenly everyone expects you to win the title or thinks you’ve actually already won it.”
Wembley? The past doesn’t matter anymore
Speaking of winning: Germany not only won the only direct duel in a European Championship final against England (2009), but also in the most recent comparison at Wembley ten years later. National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg is no longer on this game. In the three years, not only Germany has developed, but also England. “The English also have a fantastic coach in Sarina Wiegman. She has already shown that she can lead a team to a European Championship title. Let’s hope it stays with a title.”
England’s appearance in the semifinals against the Swedes is much more important in preparation for the game. Because even if the 4-0 final result speaks for itself – “the first 30 minutes against Sweden showed that you can hurt them – and that’s our job now”. And the quarter-finals against Spain, when England found no means for a long time and were already on the verge of elimination, should offer some pointers to the right approach.
Will Popp become EM top scorer?
That’s where Popp comes in again, who is by far the best at hurting her opponents in this tournament. And there is also the sole record as the top scorer at a European Championship finals including the golden shoe for the top scorer at this tournament. Her opponent is on the other side: Beth Mead. But there, too, the 31-year-old from VfL Wolfsburg says: “It’s not my first goal to be top scorer. It’s about the European title. And if three others score instead of me, I’ll be happy too.”
Corona-infected Bühl also missed the final
There was bad news the day before the game. Corona-infected Klara Bühl does not get fit in time for the final. Most recently, the German team had hoped that Bayern Munich’s left winger could free themselves because of their mild course on Sunday. On Saturday, however, it was clear: Bühl, who had played such a strong tournament up to the semi-finals, will be absent from Wembley.
Final sets attendance record in England
For Voss-Tecklenburg, however, it was already clear before the announcement: “The final will be a great football festival.” Like her players, she is looking forward to what is sure to be a great atmosphere at Wembley Stadium. The record of 77,768 spectators set for the England-Germany 2019 clash at a women’s soccer match in the UK is sure to be broken on Sunday.
We want to silence Wembley.
“Germany versus England is the dream final,” says Sydney Lohmann from the heart of many. It’s no secret that the German team has had a bumpy road. “So we didn’t have any pressure, which was definitely good for us. But we always knew we had the potential to win the title and we showed that here from the first game.”
It doesn’t matter “whether the 90,000 fans are for or against us”. In any case, Hendrich and Popp already set the direction. “We want to calm the spectators,” said Hendrich. And the captain had previously said: “We want to silence Wembley.”
Frohms – Gwinn, Hendrich, Hegering, Rauch – Magull, Oberdorf, Däbritz – Brand, Popp, Huth
Possible line-up against England