The DFB women have to win the Nations League game against the Netherlands. Otherwise it won’t just be a dream shattered.
While the eleven women who were supposed to be in the starting line-up in the semi-finals of the Nations League concentrated on scoring, three substitutes warmed up in an unusual way. Sydney Lohmann, Laura Freigang and Linda Dallmann formed a triangle and played volleyball instead of football like their teammates. They playfully and dreamily dug and bounced the ball to each other.
The eleven players in the starting eleven appeared just as dreamy on the field against France a few minutes later. In the first Olympic match point, national coach Horst Hrubesch’s team started hesitantly, made individual mistakes and was literally overrun by the French team. The final phase of the first half was particularly difficult for the DFB women, and they were deservedly 2-0 down at the break.
After the restart, “volleyballer” Lohmann, of all people, brought more momentum into the game with her substitution alongside teammate Jule Brand. The duo repeatedly combined dangerously in front of the French goal. Germany fought for the next goal after a penalty from Giulia Gwinn (82nd minute). However, the hoped-for and important turnaround did not materialize.
With the 2-1 defeat in the semi-finals, the DFB women only have the small final in the game for third place left – and the last chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris. Germany meets the Netherlands in Heerenveen on Wednesday evening (from 8:45 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online).
“A team that you always have to reckon with”
The “Leeuwinnen” clearly failed in the second semi-final against world champions Spain. Despite the bitter 3-0 defeat, the team of former Bayern interim coach Andries Jonker should never be written off, warned Giulia Gwinn. “The Netherlands are a team that has been present at every tournament in recent years. They are a team that you always have to reckon with,” she said at a press conference on Monday.
Seven years ago, the Netherlands won the European Championship title, became runners-up in the World Cup in 2019 and made it to the quarter-finals of the 2022 European Championships and the 2023 World Cup. They qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time in 2021 and promptly made it into the top eight teams. In the current Nations League season they prevailed in a group against European champions England. Gwinn’s warning is no coincidence.
The Netherlands particularly benefits from the experience of 228-time national player Sherida Spitse. Together with Lieke Martens (157 games) and Danielle van de Donk (151), she leads the team. Before the game, Gwinn remembered and highlighted her time together at FC Bayern with attacker Lineth Beerensteyn (2019 to 2022). “The Dutch have good individual players. They have a good mix of experience and a certain freshness. I personally know Lineth Beerensteyn, who can create dangerous moments at the top,” said the national player.
The Dutch also owe their success to coach Jonker. Before taking over as head coach in August 2022, he had, among other things, coached the FC Bayern men’s teams as assistant coach to Louis van Gaal, coached VfL Wolfsburg and headed Arsenal FC’s talent academy. With his many years of experience, Jonker can now avoid Germany’s next setback almost seven months after the World Cup debacle in Australia.
It takes courage
But the DFB women don’t want to let it get that far. Defense chief Marina Hegering said at a media round on Sunday: “It’s not an easy task. We are prepared for everything and have to stay wide awake in the game in order to take away their strengths.” But: “The Dutch can be beaten.”