As if they had just had to get used to it, Iceland’s footballers gradually worked their way towards the German goal a little better. The DFB team feared that they would now be punished for a bunch of missed opportunities. Five minutes remained when Dilja Zomers suddenly appeared in front of Ann-Katrin Berger. If she had scored and this Nations League game would have ended in a draw – the result would have been equivalent to a missed Olympic qualification, at least on Tuesday evening. But Berger held on.
And then there was added time. In the fourth minute of the additional time, Klara Bühl ran towards the goal with such determination that interim national coach Horst Hrubesch would certainly have liked to see more often in the small Laugardalsvöllur stadium in Reykjavík. When she reached the middle of the penalty area, she took the shot. The shot wasn’t really dangerous, but Iceland’s goalkeeper Telma Ivarsdottir misjudged and the ball slipped under her body to make it 2-0. “We had a very difficult time today. The final consistency was missing, especially in the first half,” said Lena Lattwein on ZDF. “The relief came at 2-0, especially on the bench; before that we were shaking quite a bit.”
The pressure on the German national team increased even before kick-off, albeit to be expected: Denmark won against Wales 2-1 and extended their lead as group leaders over the DFB team to six points. Thanks to the victory, the Germans were able to reduce this gap to three points. And so there will be a direct duel in Rostock on December 1st for the place that will ensure a place in the final round of the Nations League. “At home,” said Bühl, “we can set off fireworks.” But a lot still has to happen before an explosive appearance in the Advent season.
Schüller creates a moment of shock
The Germans had clearly won 4-0 against Iceland in September, but now they were having a hard time with the task they had given themselves on Friday after the game against Wales: using chances more efficiently and scoring a lot of goals. On Friday, some players struggled after the final whistle, and given the flood of finishing opportunities, the lack of precision in the 5-1 win was particularly noticeable. And perhaps things would have been completely different if the first really good chance to take the lead had been used. In the fourth minute, Bühl worked his way forward on the left side and passed the ball to Lea Schüller in the penalty area. The 25-year-old striker caught him well – and still hit the crossbar. On Friday against Wales she scored a brace with her head.
Lea Schüller (left) didn’t score with her head today, but her celebration of the others’ goals was all the more energetic.
(Photo: Brynjar Gunnarsson/dpa)
Four days later, however, like her teammates, she was having a hard time. Hrubesch was forced to change the starting eleven: defense chief Marina Hegering was out with Achilles tendon problems; she was replaced in central defense by Sara Doorsoun. Lena Lattwein and Linda Dallmann were allowed to start this time. This setup also worked initially. In the opening phase the Germans were constantly in the forward gear, after the first big chance Lattwein almost made it 1-0 in the 13th minute if the ball hadn’t been deflected just wide. And as nothing worked, Hrubesch became more and more restless and dissatisfied at his side.
“We know that it’s not something that can be done by itself and that we have to do a lot,” he said in advance. “We have to win, that’s how we approach it. We’ll try to take command from the start.” However, the 2022 European Championship finalists made their working day more difficult with poorly executed corners and crosses. Overall, apart from precision, there was also a lack of ideas. They were lucky that the Icelanders led by captain Glódís Viggósdóttir from FC Bayern failed to achieve anything offensively in the first half and DFB goalkeeper Berger was hardly in demand.
After the break, substitute Jule Brand almost scored. But after a cross from Sarai Linder – who had already provided an assist on Friday – Brand didn’t get the free ball and it sailed past the post. Like Linder, Lena Oberdorf finally showed that this team still knows how to shoot clean crosses. It almost resulted in a goal: Schüller ran towards the ball, beat two opponents in the air – before she was hit in the face by Ivarsdottir’s fist. She remained lying with her face on the grass and caused a moment of shock.
When Giulia Gwinn converted the penalty in the 64th minute, Schüller was able to cheer energetically again. The game got tougher and tougher – until Klara Bühl’s final act.