Alexandra Popp stood sobbing on the pitch in her black jacket and dirty socks, repeatedly hugged by a laughing teammate.
After an emotional comeback, the captain of the German soccer team lost her composure after the final whistle. “You rarely see me cry, but at that moment the tears actually fell,” said the 31-year-old from Wolfsburg when she was relaxed again in Bielefeld and sat in the mint green outfit at the press conference.
Popp return outshines 3-0
Popp’s return after a one-year compulsory break due to a serious knee injury outshone the 3-0 (1-0) victory of the DFB selection against Portugal on Saturday. On the other hand, there will be nothing with the return of Popp’s club colleague Almuth Schult planned for Tuesday (4 p.m. / ZDF) in Serbia: The goalkeeper, who played her last international match on June 29, 2019 in the World Cup against Sweden and then operated on her shoulder had to leave on Sunday due to shoulder problems. National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg had announced the use of the 31-year-old mother of twins.
When she came on in the 59th minute, Popp said she was still very relaxed. “But when I saw Svenni handing me the captain’s armband, which I didn’t expect at the moment, it ripped me a bit for the first time – I don’t want to say -” said the 2016 Olympic champion later about the scene with Svenja Huth and added: “After the final whistle, yes, I was – to be honest – quite overwhelmed. It was kind of a moment when I thought: Now I’ve actually made it back onto the pitch. ”
Popp will always have special memories of her 112th international match. After tearing cartilage in her knee last year, she fought her way back through difficult rehabilitation. Always the EM in England as a “big picture” motivating in mind. Despite the qualifiers for Australia/New Zealand 2023, the tournament in July is still the focus of the German women. The German team can get their World Cup ticket on the third to last match day in Stara Pazova against Serbia.
Popp sees good game
Popp saw “a good game by my team”, which landed the seventh success in seven games in front of 7364 spectators and is clearly ahead of Serbia (15) and Portugal (13) in the table with 21 points. Her club colleagues Lena Oberdorf (40th minute) and Felicitas Rauch (80th) as well as Klara Bühl from FC Bayern Munich (55th) scored the goals for the two-time world champion and record European champion.
During dinner and a speech by the national coach, there was special applause for the returnee. “It’s just nice that Poppi is back,” Martina Voss-Tecklenburg had previously emphasized. “There is no question that Poppi worked very hard for this return. And she also knows that she will have to work very hard in the coming weeks and months. She will do that.”
The competition in the squad is fierce, but Germany’s two-time “soccer player of the year” has good cards in the European Championship casting thanks to her experience, presence and versatility and has already spoken to Voss-Tecklenburg about her possible role. “Basically, she has a plan with me that I really like,” revealed the trained striker with 53 international goals. Namely: “To play with me up front.” Of course, the composition of the squad is also crucial: “It can always happen that I can be found further back.”