analysis
With the 4-0 win against Denmark at Euro 2022, Germany made its first big exclamation mark. Not just with the result, but above all with the way the team pulled it in as a unit.
It seemed a bit reluctant. Lina Magull was given the “honor” of standing in front of a sponsors’ wall after the win against Denmark and being presented with a bulky trophy in front of the camera. It was the award for the best player of the game – but the 27-year-old didn’t seem too happy.
A few seconds later, however, a smile crossed her lips. Substitute Laura Freigang quickly got her smartphone out of her bag to capture the moment. So Magull made a face for her good friend and had her picture taken again. “We have a special bond,” said Freigang shortly afterwards. “And I’m incredibly happy for her. She played a great game.”
Magull: “I’m proud of the whole team”
The offensive player paved the way to victory with her 1-0 win, in which she first won the ball herself and then threw it into the Danish net, making it impossible for goalkeeper Lene Christensen to stop. After missing a few chances before, “there was a lot of frustration when we shot,” Magull said.
Even if the 27-year-old prepared the 2-0 lead in addition to her goal, she didn’t want to be the center of attention herself: “I’m very proud of the whole team. We put in an excellent performance and never let any doubts arise,” emphasized Magull .
Popp and Co. write special stories
It was a picture perfect evening, an evening that wrote a whole series of special stories. There was goalkeeper Merle Frohms, who kept a clean sheet in her first European Championship game and held on to the 1-0 lead with a nice save. “If I could have chosen beforehand, I would have chosen this game,” said Germany’s number one. “It couldn’t have gone better.”
There was the central defense duo Kathrin Hendrich/Marina Hegering, who played together for only the second time – and showed a very strong game.
And then there were the jokers: Lena Lattwein scored 3-0 17 minutes after coming on as a substitute and made the decision with her first international goal. Then Alexandra Popp, who entered the field together with Lattwein in the 61st minute, also scored. At the age of 31, the center forward celebrated her European Championship debut, which previously had always prevented injuries. And this time it was only possible because the tournament had been postponed by a year due to Corona.
DFB women present themselves as the right team
And while Germany is concerned about whether the men’s national team is doing well simply calling itself “The Team”, the women present themselves as such. The players in the starting XI held hands during the national anthem.
Goalkeeper Almuth Schult, who was only the place behind Frohms after her baby break, applauded her opponent several times during the warm-up for successful actions and a little later meticulously labeled all drinking bottles on the substitutes’ bench with the names of her teammates.
“Here everyone is putting their ego on the back burner. Of course everyone wants to play, but everyone supports everyone else – because we have a common goal.”
During a drinking break, Popp – still on the substitutes’ bench – actively approached her opponent in the center of attack, Lea Schüller, who had hitherto been unsuccessful in attacking, and gave her high fives to encourage her. In the end both had scored a goal.
And just as Lattwein made it 3-0, Hegering sprinted to the sidelines to celebrate with Sara Doorsoun, Sophia Kleinherne and Sydney Lohmann, who were just warming up. The national coach said: “It is a great gift to be able to go onto the field with this team.”
Better photos than a ugly trophy
When Voss-Tecklenburg and Magull came to the press conference together, DFB press spokeswoman Annette Seitz placed the player of the match trophy on the table in front of them. Magull cleaned up first and the trophy landed under the table: “People have now seen it.”
It can be assumed that this award does not have a special place in her home. It might be different with the photo that Freigang took of her and the trophy. As a souvenir photo of an evening that could hardly have gone better.