Nations League
“A bit of scary football”: DFB women are struggling with themselves
The German footballers were very disappointed after the defeat in France. photo
© Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa
The first Olympic chance is gone. Now Horst Hrubesch and his footballers are challenged in the Netherlands. They can learn some lessons from the France game.
In order to get the annoying and perhaps serious defeat in Lyon out of their minds, Sara Däbritz could help her colleagues in the national team as a tour guide on an excursion in the coming days. The Olympique midfielder is of course familiar with the historic Lyon at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône. And interim national coaches will only fly on Tuesday Horst Hrubesch and the German soccer players go to Heerenveen, where Paris now has its last Olympic chance against the Netherlands.
After the 1:2 (0:2) defeat against France in the Nations League semi-finals, the DFB women first have to pick themselves up again. Right-back Giulia Gwinn found the outcome of the game “extremely bitter” and “very, very annoying,” which would have given her a ticket to Paris if she had won. FC Bayern’s penalty scorer put it quite clearly: “We weren’t brave enough in the first half, we played a bit of scary football.”
In the game for third place on Wednesday (8:45 p.m./ZDF) against the Netherlands, who lost 3-0 to the world champions from Spain, the Hrubesch selection now has to win. Otherwise, the DFB team, which won gold in Rio in 2016 with Alexandra Popp, among others, will have to watch the Summer Games in Paris for the second time in a row after Tokyo. For the German Football Association, six months after the World Cup debacle in Australia, this would be another bitter setback.
Popp demands: “Get everything out of it”
“First of all, I’m glad that we still have the chance. Of course we could have closed the bag somehow today,” said captain Popp from VfL Wolfsburg. “But it is what it is now and we really have to combine all our strengths and we have to be clear that we have to get everything out of it from the first to the last minute.”
The vice-European champions and Hrubesch did not skimp on self-criticism. “We just made too many mistakes,” said Hrubesch. In front of 30,267 spectators in the Groupama Stadium, the German national team conceded two goals shortly before half-time from Kadidiatou Diani (40th minute) and Sakina Karchaoui from the penalty spot (45th + 4th). Gwinn’s converted hand penalty (82′) came too late.
“We actually started too late. The second goal broke our necks a bit,” commented Hrubesch in drastic terms. “It looks like shit today. But I think if we take that with us and are more efficient in the next game, are more at it, maybe want a little more – then we can score some goals,” said Munich attacker Klara Bühl.
Gap in the attacking midfield
The experienced Hrubesch may also have learned his lessons from the weak first half. Behind the dual leadership of Popp and the largely ineffective Lea Schüller, there was a gap in the offensive midfield of his 4-4-2 system, as Lena Oberdorf and Sjoeke Nüsken were heavily involved in the defensive work. When Hrubesch brought in the strong Däbritz and Sydney Lohmann (FC Bayern) after the break, things visibly went better.
The 72-year-old is now hoping for one last show of strength in the fight to take part in the Olympics. “On the one hand, I believe in them,” he said of his players. “On the other hand, they have all the qualities, but they have to do everything for it. 90 percent is not enough.” If the 2022 European runners-up also lose to the Netherlands, Hrubesch’s second short term in office would also come to an end.
According to its new sports director Nia Künzer, the German Football Association is prepared for all scenarios. “Of course we want to do everything we can to ensure that Horst stays with us in the next few weeks and months,” said goalkeeper Merke Frohms. “We all really want to go there. Not just for Horst, but because it’s such a big dream for every athlete. So the motivation couldn’t be greater.”