DFB women at the EM | Everyone celebrates Popp after reaching the final: “A beast up ahead”

Popp’s fifth and sixth goal in the fifth European Championship game and the record European champions’ entry into the final were seen by almost half of all television viewers on ZDF on Wednesday evening. An average of 12.187 million viewers and a market share of 47.2 percent means a record audience for this tournament.

The Chancellor also congratulated the DFB women and hopes to be able to experience the title win live in the stadium on Sunday (6 p.m. CEST/ARD and DAZN). “That was a great achievement,” wrote the SPD politician on Twitter. “I’m looking forward to going to London and supporting the German team in their dream final against the hosts England at Wembley.”

While Popp scored up front, Lena Oberdorf resolutely cleaned up behind her in defensive midfield. The 20-year-old from VfL Wolfsburg also impressed in TV interviews in English. “I’m just proud of her,” she said of her captain and also praised the entire selection, which suffered a 2-3 defeat in Serbia in the World Cup qualifier in April and at the time had great doubts about the EM mission triggered: “If I were a fan, I wouldn’t recognize us at this tournament.”

Popp headed the second goal “outstandingly”, said Oberdorf and added with a smile: “Just a beast in there.” The striker not only made it into the European Championship final with the two-time world champion, but also made it big on the cover of the specialist magazine “Kicker” on Thursday – actually a male domain.

Voss-Tecklenburg didn’t know where to stop when praising, even though after the final whistle she ran to goalkeeper Merle Frohms, who had prevented the French team from equalizing several times after the break.

“In addition to Merle and Obi and Poppi, I would like to highlight everyone,” said the 54-year-old and took a deep breath for a long list: “What Jule Brand played, what Giuli Gwinn played, what Feli Rauch played. What Marina (Hegering) together with Kathy (Hendrich) did today. What Sara (Däbritz) and Lina (Magull) kept trying to move forward. What Svenni (Svenja Huth) ran. And then those who came in…”

For Frohms “everything is possible” in the European Championship final. The future Wolfsburg player (last Eintracht Frankfurt) could only roughly imagine the backdrop: “I think it will go beyond all dimensions, what’s waiting for us there.”

The DFB delegation left the team headquarters in Brentford on Thursday after almost four weeks and moved to Watford, northwest of London, in a bus and a giant van. The posh hotel was assigned to the team by the European Football Union UEFA. “We don’t know the meaning,” said Joti Chatzialexiou, head of national teams at the German Football Association, after the one-hour journey with a smile: “We said we’d take it as it comes. It might be a change of scenery.”

By the time they arrived at the stately home, the last of the team had realized that the tournament wasn’t over yet. “It somehow happened during the day that we’re not going home today,” reported Frohms with a smile. “That wouldn’t have worked either and no one would have been willing either. I think we would have just stayed here and gone on a sit-in.”