She shot the German team into the European Championship final, although few had expected her beforehand. Then a drama occurs – minutes before kick-off.
European Championship final in London. Wembley Stadium. In front of almost 90,000 spectators. Against england. It could have been her biggest performance. should be. But in the end everything turned out very differently: Alexandra Popp dropped out shortly before the final of the European Championship kicked off. Muscular problems, it must have happened while warming up before the game. The pictures show how the 31-year-old grimaces for a moment – probably the moment when she had to realize: It’s not possible.
Eight minutes before kick-off it was clear: Popp will not be used this Sunday evening – and the drama was perfect. Ironically, Alex Popp. The goalscorer of VfL Wolfsburg, who was actually not intended for a regular place in the team of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. After many injuries and setbacks in recent years (read more about this here). After Lea Schüller took over the regular role in the German attack.
But then Schüller got infected with the corona virus, Popp moved into the limelight – and became a defining figure of this EM on the island for the German team. Popp scored six goals up to the final, scoring Germany against France in the final. “Poppi – outstanding decapitation again. Just a beast in there. That’s just what we need from her” enthused Lena Oberdorf after the win against France. Popp joked at press conferences, once put on an artificial mustache and enjoyed the tournament. A fairy tale.
But there won’t be another goal. One wrong move, maybe a moment of inattention minutes before the biggest performance – and it was all over. Immediately afterwards, Popp received encouragement from Voss-Tecklenburg and her teammates, then posed for the big team photo and then left the lawn. And then fired on the DFB-Elf from the bench. The “beast” gives everything here too. Despite all the tragedy: That was another great moment for Alex Popp at this European Championship. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough in the end: After extra time, Germany lost 1:2…