DFB women
Künzer on World Cup chances: “The potential is definitely there”
Trusts the DFB women to win the World Cup: Nia Künzer. photo
© Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
Nia Künzer’s career is still linked to the winning goal in the 2003 World Cup final. As an ARD expert, she sees great quality in the German team – but also warns.
ex-world champion Nia Künzer sees good title chances for the German soccer players at the upcoming World Cup.
“The potential is definitely there, but everything has to fit and work. You have to be able to react to setbacks and new situations, so it’s a look into the crystal ball,” said the 43-year-old of the German Press Agency before World Cup tournament from July 20th to August 20th in Australia and New Zealand.
In the 2003 World Cup final in the USA, Künzer scored the golden goal in extra time in Germany’s 2-1 win over Sweden. Since then, today’s ARD soccer expert from Wetzlar has been one of the best-known players in this country. Her goal was later voted “Goal of the Year”.
“In the group there must be a clear demand to dominate them,” said Künzer before the preliminary round matches of the DFB women against Morocco on July 24 in Melbourne, Colombia on July 30 in Sydney and against South Korea on August 3 in Brisbane . “But if, for example, Brazil come straight away in the knockout stage, that’s a brutal quality. The German team needs a very good day,” warned the 34-time former international of 1. FFC Frankfurt.
In the round of 16, co-favorite France could also be the opponent. According to Künzer, the European runners-up can come a long way if, like at the European Championships in England last year, “they manage to get that dynamic back in place, act as one, never give up and react to setbacks. I think that the team has a very high individual quality.”