Due to a defeat in the Nations League semi-final against France, the DFB women have to worry about qualifying for the Olympics.
The looks were empty, the corners of the mouth pointed downwards – Paris still has to wait: After a brutal collapse shortly before half-time, the German footballers missed their first Olympic match point. The selection of interim national coach Horst Hrubesch lost the Nations League semi-final in France 1:2 (0:2) and now needs a victory in the small final against the Dutch on Wednesday to fulfill their dream of the Summer Games.
Kadidiatou Diani (40th) and Sakina Karchaoui from the penalty spot (45th + 4) scored for the French in Lyon. Almost seven months after the World Cup debacle, the European vice-champions have to fear for their chance to make amends. Giulia Gwinn’s goal with a hand penalty (82′) didn’t change that.
“We weren’t brave enough in the first half. We have to act differently,” said Gwinn on ARD: “That’s very bitter.” Hrubesch saw it similarly: “We made too many mistakes in the first half.”
The French team repeatedly penetrated the Germans’ left defense in the first half and produced some extremely dangerous crosses, which in most cases the German team was only able to defend with great difficulty. The deficit at half time was well deserved.
Although the German team showed great improvement in the second half, it was still not enough for many players to receive a good rating. While one DFB star still gets a grade of two, another even gets a six. You can read the entire individual review here or in the photo show above.