The German football players have qualified for the quarter-finals of the European Championship on Tuesday. The team of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg was 2-0 too strong for Spain in the Brentford Community Stadium. Germany’s victory was heralded by a blunder by Spanish keeper Sandra Paños.
The closing post of FC Barcelona shot the ball exactly into the feet of Klara Bühl in the third minute, for whom it was then a breeze to open the score from close by.
In the 37th minute Alexandra Popp determined the final score. In the final phase, Tabea Wassmuth seemed to make it 3-0, but her goal was disallowed for offside. Germany had started the European Championship with a big win over Denmark, which puts it at the top of Group B after two matches with six points.
Spain still has to work hard to make it to the last eight of the European Championship. The team of national coach Jorge Vilda will fight in a direct battle with Denmark on Saturday for a place in the quarter-finals. Finland, which lost 2-0 to Denmark earlier in the evening, is eliminated in the same group.
Germany’s victory was heralded by a blunder by Spanish keeper Sandra Paños.
Germany’s victory was heralded by a blunder by Spanish keeper Sandra Paños. Photo: AFP
Spain can’t get Germany in trouble
Although Germany and Spain – the numbers five and seven in the world – should be evenly matched on paper, there was little to see on the field. Germany controlled the game from the opening phase and only sporadically ran into problems.
Half an hour after Bühl had received the present from Paños, Germany hit again. Popp was in the right place to head in a corner from Felicitas Rauch.
This determined the final score, although the damage for Spain could have been worse after the break. Irene Paredes held the broken Popp, after which a red card seemed inevitable. However, the French referee did not consider it a violation and the VAR was also merciful to Paredes and the Spanish team.
The difference in quality may also have to do with the injuries that the Spanish team is struggling with. A week before the European Championship it was announced that star player Jennifer Hermoso was struggling with a knee injury. Alèxia Putellas, who was seen in advance as one of the stars of this European Championship, also had to drop out just before the start of the tournament with a serious knee injury.