The German soccer women miss the European title. In the Wembley final, they lost to the hosts from England after extra time – also because top star Alexandra Popp was injured at short notice.
Bitter defeat: Alexandra Popp couldn't help her team in the final
It was 19:33 local time in London when the DFB women's dream of winning the title again was shattered. For 120 minutes they had a hard fight with England, came back from a 1-0 deficit and forced extra time, but Chloe Kelly's goal in the 110th minute decided the final of the European Football Championship in the hosts' favour .
The German team then shed tears while the overwhelming majority of the spectators at Wembley Stadium celebrated the first international title for an English women's national team with their heroines to “Football is Coming Home” and “Sweet Caroline” . 87,192 were there live at this historic moment – a European Championship record, not only for women, in the 62-year history of European title fights.
“It didn't work”
Germany's top star of the tournament had to be comforted by the other players on the field – and above all, give consolation yourself. Alexandra Popp, who with her six goals in five games had become the symbol of the regained joy of playing, had to pass a few minutes before the final kicked off. The test during the warm-up was negative, a muscle injury made her use impossible. “That would have triggered something, she has a different presence, but it just didn't work,” explained a sober national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg after the game.
Team spirit despite disappointment: Germany's soccer players comfort each other after the defeat against England Svenja Huth took over the captain's armband. “Lea was already prepared,” Huth said after the game on ARD. “We accepted it as a team, but unfortunately we weren't rewarded.”
Magull brings the DFB team back to the Game
The game had started well for the Voss-Tecklenburg team. Unfazed by the loud crowd, the defense withstood the English attacks. The central defense with Marina Hegering and Kathrin Hendrich was almost always safe, in midfield Lina Magull whirled. Many goal chances didn't come about in a match that was very intense for both sides; Hardness was trumps. And Germany was denied a penalty by the Ukrainian referee, and the video check inexplicably left the clear handball unpunished.
Finally, the Englishwomen scored through Ella Toone with a remarkable lob over the flawless save Merle Frohms in the German goal (62nd). The Germans responded with a Magull goal and brought the game into overtime where the close fight continued at eye level. Even in the decisive scene, it was just a little thing that tipped the scales in favor of the English women. Chloe Kelly used a confusion in the goal area after a corner to score the winning goal. She came to the ball with a long leg, the German defensive players were a few centimeters short.
Stich ins Heart: Chloe Kelly (3rd from right) shoots England to the European title
The horror on the faces of the German players was. The belief in the balance seemed gone. “We were close, especially after the 1-1 draw, and we also wanted to be 2-1. But goals decide games. That's why the English team became European champions,” the national coach sounded very composed after half an hour /p>
Praise for lightness, enthusiasm and team spirit
Other experts also consistently praised the performance in the final and the overall performance of the Germans during the tournament. “I'm very sorry for Martina Voss-Tecklenburg and her entire team that they couldn't crown their great performance with the title. But after the first disappointment, they can look back on this tournament with pride,” Hansi Flick consoled. “The passion and at the same time lightness, enthusiasm and team spirit with which the team went through this tournament inspired me.”
“This great tournament of our team deserved the title win as a worthy conclusion. The performances of our team in England were great from the first game to the end, despite the defeat in the final,” said DFB Managing Director Oliver Bierhoff and predicted: “This tournament will be a milestone in the development of women's football in Germany.
< p>For the German players, however, such consolation came a little too soon. They had come too close to the big win. “We gave our all for 120 minutes and didn't let the deficit shock us. Unfortunately, we didn't reward ourselves,” said substitute captain Svenja Huth. “It's just really painful right now.”