The DFB team is full of respect in the semi-finals of the European Championship against France.
“They played really well, they deserved to win, they have great individual players,” said Joti Chatzialexiou, head of the national teams at the association, in a ZDF interview after the French won 1-0 after extra time in the quarterfinals against the defending champions Netherlands. “They have a brutal quality and are really good, especially on the flanks. I was surprised that it took so long.”
Chatzialexiou saw the game of the vastly superior opponent on Wednesday (9 p.m. CEST/ZDF and DAZN) in Milton Keynes like the team at the team headquarters in Brenford. France prevailed in Rotherham with a penalty goal from Eve Perisset (102nd minute) and previously missed numerous chances.
National coach promises full commitment
“It’s a tough opponent, we know that France has enormous quality in the transition moments, fantastic individual players with a lot of speed,” said national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. “We have to try to give them little space. We’ll give everything we’ve got on Wednesday. I think France also respect the performance we’ve shown, so it’s going to be an even game.”
If you look at the French team on paper, “it’s a fifty-fifty game,” said Chatzialexiou. “It’s a semi-final, that will definitely be decided in your head.” “I’m not worried because I can feel the energy in our team.”