The DFB women will take part in the Summer Games in Paris together with Horst Hrubesch. The coach already has a clear idea about it.
Kim Steinke reports from Heerenveen
He smiled, threw his arms up and repeatedly punched the air with both fists. Horst Hrubesch had to wait 66 minutes before he could celebrate. Goal for Germany. Just twelve minutes later he got the next reason to be happy: Hrubesch screamed, threw his arms up and celebrated with the players on the bench. Another goal for Germany.
The 2-0 was also the last goal in the game for third place in the Nations League against the Netherlands. The placement in the Nations League was only a minor matter. With the victory, the team fulfilled their dream of going to the Olympic Games in Paris. Because the best two teams in the Nations League can play for the gold medal in the summer. Since host France, finalist of the Nations League, is automatically qualified, Germany gets the ticket in third place.
Hrubesch’s chapter with the DFB women is not yet over. He will lead his team through the tournament as head coach on the sidelines – and already knows where the journey is headed.
While most of his players still had to qualify, the 72-year-old was determined. “I won’t go to Paris to play. I won’t do that. You won’t get to the Olympic Village until you’re in the final. That has to be the goal,” said the coach at the press conference after the game in Heerenveen.
Match winner Klara Bühl also indicated: “I think that we can initially be satisfied with the fact that we are there. We are coming out of a difficult phase, but everyone who takes part in a tournament doesn’t just say: Being there is everything. We “We want to enjoy the Olympics, but we also want to play at the highest level,” said the national player after the Netherlands victory.
“Summer is saved”
In order to achieve this, Hrubesch will have to think about it. Who is he taking with him? What does the team need? How does he bring consistency to the team? The players are behind him in any case. Goalscorer Lea Schüller praised Hrubesch: “Horst gives us a lot of trust, extreme security and simplicity in the game. It’s simple football that we should play and I believe that with the trust he gives us, we will implement it well .”
Bühl relies on his footballing quality: “His style of play is based on the simple things: playing courageously, mentality football, always wanting to and being able to deliver 100 percent.” Hrubesch demands “that we do everything at 100 percent during training, and that’s important because that’s how you come into the game.”
With Hrubesch, the DFB women are finally successful again after being eliminated from the preliminary round at the World Cup last year. The defeat in the semifinals of the Nations League against France on Friday was his first in his 13th game as national coach of the German women’s national team. A few days later, against the “Leeuwinnen” from the Netherlands, he made the fans’ hearts beat faster again – and gave the team hope.
To see this, one look at Alexandra Popp’s face was enough. “I am incredibly happy and very relieved that we decided the game in our favor,” said the DFB captain afterwards.
The national coach, who was also relieved, found not only positive words but also something to complain about: “We had enough opportunities in the first half.” At the same time, he emphasized that his team had gone beyond the limits. That was also necessary to be able to be there in Paris.