football
DFB team has to worry about midfield star Lena Oberdorf
Germany’s Lena Oberdorf had to leave the field early in the match in Poland. Photo
© Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa/Archive image
During the German women’s European Championship qualifying match in Poland, the new Munich player Oberdorf was apparently seriously injured. She had to be carried into the changing room.
The German women’s football team must look for midfield star Lena Oberdorf is worried. In the European Championship qualifier in Poland, the 22-year-old new signing from FC Bayern was unable to continue the game after a tackle in the 37th minute. Oberdorf had to be “substituted due to a painful blow to the left calf,” the DFB announced shortly afterwards.
Oberdorf, who had been shown a yellow card for her tackle, initially held her left calf before limping off the pitch in tears, supported by two coaches. She had to be carried into the dressing room shortly afterwards. It is not yet clear whether and for how long Oberdorf will be out, but it is clear that she will miss the upcoming qualifying match against Iceland on July 12 due to her second yellow card.
In her 50th international match, the cup winner from VfL Wolfsburg led the German team, which was 1-0 down at half-time, onto the field as captain for the first time. Oberdorf’s absence at the Olympics would significantly reduce the chances of national coach Horst Hrubesch’s team of winning a medal at the Paris Games.
In France, the German team will first face World Cup fourth-place finisher Australia on July 25. The other opponents in the preliminary round are record world champions USA (July 28) and Zambia (July 31).