football
2: 3 against Zambia: DFB women mess up World Cup dress rehearsal
The DFB women suffered a bitter defeat against Zambia. photo
© Daniel Karmann/dpa
Instead of igniting enthusiasm for the World Cup, the German footballers have to accept defeat against a World Cup outsider in the final endurance test. However, he has a very strong striker.
With a huge disappointment against Zambia, the German soccer players said goodbye to the World Cup. The team of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg lost 2:3 (0:0) to the African World Cup outsiders in the final test match in Fürth – and showed serious defensive weaknesses.
In front of 11,404 spectators, outstanding striker Barbra Banda (48 minutes, 90+12) and Racheal Kundananji (54) scored for the guests. Two headed goals by Lea Schüller (90+1) and captain Alexandra Popp (90+10) weren’t enough for the DFB team.
The tournament in Australia and New Zealand begins for the DFB players on July 24 in Melbourne against Morocco. At the last casting for the 23 squad places before the nomination this Saturday, only established vice European champions from last year were in the starting eleven.
Voss-Tecklenburg started the game with a complete defense and a total of eight players from Champions League finalists VfL Wolfsburg. The otherwise offensive Svenja Huth acted as a right-back and thus made room in front of her for club colleague Jule Brand. The first promising attacks of the DFB-Elf ran over the fast 20-year-old.
The offensive forces Lina Magull and Klara Bühl were in the starting lineup this time – and initially did the German team visibly good. All of FC Bayern Munich’s aces were still missing in the arduous 2-1 win over Vietnam two weeks ago because of their later arrival at the training camp.
DFB defense overwhelmed with Barbra Banda
Voss-Tecklenburg had warned immediately before the kick-off in an ARD interview to “mainly watch out defensively that they don’t play balls for so long because they’re just good there, have very fast tips”. The strong captain Banda caught one of these long balls – and almost duped goalkeeper Merle Frohms with her flick. Bühl and Felicitas Rauch gave the DFB team good chances before the break.
The Chelsea players Melanie Leupolz and Sjoeke Nüsken came on in the second half for Oberdorf and the somewhat battered defender Marina Hegering. A ball loss by Brand initiated the 0:1. Kathrin Hendrich couldn’t keep up with Banda, who shot in low. The 23-year-old attacker, who could make it big at the World Cup, also initiated the 0: 2 through Kundananji a little later – the DFB defense seemed completely overwhelmed.
World Cup squad will be announced on Saturday
The hosts lacked offensive efficiency, too many chances were missed. Nüsken with a header on the post and Sydney Lohmann from FC Bayern initially missed the 1: 2 as well as their club colleague Carolin Simon: She thundered an indirect free kick to the lower edge of the crossbar. Only at the beginning of over ten minutes of stoppage time did substitute Schüller score the 1:2 after a corner kick. Popp even managed to equalize very late before a counterattack sealed the German defeat.
Voss-Tecklenburg had deliberately chosen an African team for the last test match in view of the World Cup opening opponent. This Saturday, the 55-year-old will nominate her 23-man squad for the World Cup from July 20 to August 20 in Australia and New Zealand. So far the squad consists of 28 players. The DFB entourage flies to Sydney on Tuesday. In the preliminary round they meet Morocco, Colombia and South Korea.