After six years of absence, an eternity at its level, Germany will return to the semi-finals of a major women’s competition. Olympic champions in 2016, the Germans then chained disappointments (eliminated in the quarterfinals of Euro 2017 and the 2019 World Cup, absent at the 2021 Olympics). Thursday evening, the players of Martina Voss-Tecklenburg ended up taking over the Austrians thanks to goals from Magull (26th) and the eternal Popp (90th), who scored his fourth goal of the competition.
A story of amounts
But before this happy ending, the Germans suffered a lot. Very struggling in the construction, paralyzed by the Austrian pressing, they could have conceded the opener on a header from Georgieva on the post (13th). The first goal, a little against the run of play on a strike from Magull at the penalty spot after a supersonic overflow and a cross from Bühl (26th), allowed them to regain the upper hand in the match. They could have doubled the bet on a strike from Gwinn on the bar (46th) or on a blocked shot from Huth (51st).
These failures could have cost them dearly and, in the process, the German goalkeeper Merle Frohms was also saved twice by her uprights, the bar on a shot from 30 meters from Dunst (53rd) then the post on a shot from Puntigan at inside the surface (56th). The storm had passed. Faced with exhausted Austrians, the Germans finally mastered the match and they could have taken a wider advantage on a new bar from Bühl (78th) and a big miss alone against the empty goal of the same Bühl (82nd). Popp came to free her partners on a big recovery error from the Austrian goalkeeper. The Germans now have two days before knowing the name of their opponent in the semi-finals, who will be the winner of France – Netherlands.