Nations League
With a lot of nonsense: DFB women have a chance at the Olympics
Sara Doorsoun (l) is pursued by Welshwoman Rachel Rowe. photo
© David Davies/PA Wire/dpa
The last group game day in the Nations League is going very differently than expected for Germany and Denmark. At the end, Horst Hrubesch and the players can take a deep breath.
After a tough game and thanks to Iceland’s support, the German footballers have an interim national coach Horst Hrubesch just kept her Olympic chances for Paris 2024.
A disappointing 0-0 draw against Wales in Swansea was enough for the DFB women to win the group in the Nations League, as rivals Denmark surprisingly lost 1-0 to the Icelandic women. At the final tournament from February 21st to 28th, the team led by captain Alexandra Popp, which was weak this time, is now fighting for the two remaining European Olympic tickets. Possible opponents are then world champions Spain and France.
The nervous vice-European champions were unable to build on last Friday’s strong 3-0 win against Denmark against the bottom of the table. In the fourth game under Hrubesch, the 72-year-old missed a win for the first time.
Competition continues to flare up
The HSV idol already underlined with the starting eleven that he was further igniting the competition: Leverkusen’s Elisa Senß, who made her DFB debut in Rostock, played from the start, as did Hoffenheim’s Paulina Krumbiegel for the otherwise seeded Giulia Gwinn and the Jule Brand has recently received little attention. Sara Doorsoun replaced the suspended Marina Hegering in central defense.
Although the German women easily won the first leg 5-1, they started very erratically in the Liberty Stadium with many ball losses. Goalkeeper Merle Frohms was lucky after a quarter of an hour when Rachel Rowe’s ball hit the post and then hit her back without landing in the net. The very weak first half was sometimes reminiscent of the performances at the botched World Cup in Australia in the summer. Sarai Linder missed with a shot just over the crossbar (41′) – there wasn’t much more in the offensive around Popp.
Change to the second half
After the break, Hrubesch brought in two new players, Gwinn and Linda Dallmann from Munich. The DFB women increased the pressure a little, but continued to have enormous difficulties. However, Senß almost made it 1-0 in the 55th minute when goalkeeper Olivia Clark directed her deflected chip around the post.
Popp as a striker was hardly staged. The Wolfsburg player also received a blow to the head from Sophie Ingle and went into the final phase a little injured. With a win, regardless of the amount, the German selection would have secured victory in the group even without outside help.
Hrubesch and his footballers are now hoping for France for the semi-finals, which will be drawn by UEFA on Monday. This constellation would give the DFB women a second chance in the event of a defeat: the French are set for Paris as Olympic hosts. If they reach the final of the final tournament, the third place would also be at the Summer Games. Apart from France, only two other European teams receive an Olympic ticket. The German women missed the games in Tokyo, but won gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.