The U17 juniors of the German Football Association narrowly missed their second World Cup medal at the World Cup in India.
Coach Friederike Kromp’s team lost the small final in Navi Mumbai against Nigeria 3-2 on penalties despite a dramatic comeback. After 90 minutes it was 3:3 (0:1).
Opeyemi Ajakaye (20′), Amina Bello (48′) and Edidiog Etim (63′) made Nigeria look like a sure winner just under half an hour before the final whistle of regulation time.
But the German selection showed great morale and fought their way back into the game through goals from Jella Veit (73′), Paulina Bartz (85′) and Loreen Bender (90′). In the penalty shoot-out, however, Paulina Platner, Bender and Bartz each gave up their nerve.
Germany won their only medal at a World Cup when the tournament was first held in 2008. A German U17 has never made it into a World Cup final. In addition to 2008 (1:2 against the USA), 2012 (1:2 against South Korea) and this year (0:1 against Spain) also reached the semifinals.
