There is an extremely important game for the German footballers this evening at 8.30 p.m. in Rostock. Only one win in the Nations League game against Denmark (Today from 8.30 p.m. in the radio report and in the live ticker on the sports show) gets the chance to take part in the Olympics.
The thermometer showed minus four degrees when Horst Hrubesch asked his DFB women for the final training session in Rostock’s Ostseestadion. It’s cold, bitterly cold. Feels even frostier than the thermometer shows. A taste of what awaits the team on Friday evening. Ice-cold conditions for a potentially hot dance.
DFB women under pressure to succeed
Maybe that’s why the team starts the mandatory warm-up phase more intensively than usual. But maybe it’s also because of the importance of the game. The DFB women are doomed to win. What’s more: a win with at least a two-goal difference is required in order to win the direct comparison (first leg 0:2) with the Scandinavians. Germany is three points behind Denmark.
If we were to win by just one goal, not everything would be gone. Then the DFB team would need the help of the Icelanders on the last matchday on Tuesday, who will then be playing in Viborg, Denmark. Germany plays in Wales at the same time.
Only the group winners qualify for the semi-finals in the Nations League and only the finalists are allowed to go to the Olympic Games in Paris. If France is there, which automatically qualifies as hosts, third place would be enough.
Hrubesch with a Hansa past
“We have the quality and the conviction that we will win the game in our favor,” said Hrubesch optimistically at the final press conference. “We want to determine the game clearly from the start,” said the interim national coach, who has a history in Rostock. 30 years ago he was a coach at Hansa.
“The contact was never broken,” said the HSV legend. “Sometimes I was here to fish,” he added with a smile, before concentrating on sports again.
In goal again with Wolfsburg’s Frohms?
Munich’s Linda Dallmann and Sjoeke Nüsken from Chelsea have a chance of a starting eleven place. The recovered goalkeeper Merle Frohms could return to the box. The Wolfsburg player missed the last two Nations League games against Wales (5:1) and Iceland (2:0) due to a concussion.
Hrubesch did not want to comment further on the injury-related absence of important players such as Felicitas Rauch and Lena Oberdorf (both VfL Wolfsburg) as well as Lea Schüller (Munich).
If the Olympic mission succeeds, Hrubesch will stay
Just like Denmark’s strengths. “I don’t care whether we play against Denmark, Holland or France, we concentrate on ourselves,” said the interim national coach.
It remains unclear when his time at the DFB will end. If the Olympic mission is still possible after the two games in the Nations League (against Denmark and Wales), he will stay on board; anything else makes no sense. He will definitely still be on the bench for the final group game in Wales next Tuesday (Sportschau.de).
DFB women will set an example before the game
Kathrin Hendrich would be happy to see the interim national coach work for a longer period of time. The VfL Wolfsburg player knows Hrubesch from his first, short term with the DFB Women. Like many of her colleagues, she continues to be enthusiastic about his positive nature. She and her teammates will wear a special orange shirt while warming up tomorrow: “STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN” will read on it. A topic that is close to the hearts of the DFB players.
Otherwise, the focus is on the game. Against Denmark, the DFB women want to set off “fireworks” (Klara Bühl) on the pitch to warm up the almost 19,000 fans. And of course also to keep the dream alive. The dream of the Olympics in Paris.
This topic in the program:
Sports show | 12/01/2023 | 10:45 p.m
