The DFB women not only surprised France in the European Championship quarter-finals. After a nerve game, the underestimated German team was one of the main decisive factors.
Kim Steinke reports from Basel
They stood closely together, shoulder on the shoulder, arm in arm. Germany looked closed and formed on the center circuit to a unit. On the other hand, France: distributed, distanced and every player for herself. This picture during the penalty shootout in the EM quarter-finals spoke volumes-and it was no coincidence.
After the 1: 4 defeat against Sweden, they were underestimated and written down. Very few trusted this team the big hit – wrongly. Because what many did not see in advance or did not want to see was exactly this: the great cohesion, the inner strength of these DFB women. This was the prerequisite for Germany to move into the semi-finals of the European Championship in Switzerland despite the 105-minute output against the almost unbeatable France (6: 5 after penalty shootout).
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The nerve -wracking victory after 120 fighting -emphasized minutes and the trembling section from the penalty point was not a happy coincidence. He showed the team’s character. France had more opportunities and plays. But the French “Les Bleues” struggled with precision and ideas in the offensive game, they lacked nerve strength.
Germany, on the other hand, kept the nerves and also demonstrated heart, the players played for each other and let every viewer feel it in the stadium and in front of the television. Some players in the German team also grew beyond themselves. After Carlotta Wamser, who replaced the injured captain Giulia Gwinn (inner band) in the group phase, Franziska Kett suddenly became important. The 20-year-old debuted at the European Championship and only played her fourth international match as a whole. She did not show anything from nervousness and attracted the French with robustness and speed of action.
Even a Giovanna Hoffmann did not put together after 98 minutes after her replacement. When she went towards the sidelines, she heated up the fans in Basel St. Jakob-Park. National coach Christian Wück also gave everything, his team coached continuously. When the whistle sounded after 120 minutes and it went into a penalty shootout, he turned the stadium into a witch kettle. What energy.
Pens of hero Ann-Kathrin Berger got to the point after the final whistle: “Now every team must be afraid of us.” In fact, everything now seems possible, including the European Championship title. Again, Germany goes to the semi -finals with the world champion from Spain as an outsider. But this time most of them are clear: nobody should underestimate this team.