Wednesday, December 1st, 2021
Boss Bierhoff calls for semi-finals
DFB women go into the EM year with 100 percent
Nothing can go wrong in qualifying for the World Cup, but what’s in it for the European Championship in England in July? For the German soccer players, who failed in the World Cup quarter-finals in 2019 and did not make it to the Olympics in Tokyo, 2022 will be a very exciting year.
After the successful end of the year, Melanie Leupolz toasted the finest Portuguese wine with her teammates. Not only for the midfielder from Chelsea there was something to celebrate in Faro on Tuesday evening. The 27-year-old scored a goal in her 75th international match for the 3-1 (3-1) victory of the German soccer players in the World Cup qualification against Portugal. The whole team of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg goes into the EM year 2022 with a good feeling.
“Now it’s important that we enjoy that a little bit tonight,” said the 53-year-old after winning her sixth game in her sixth game on the way to the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. As the table leader in Group H, your team is now five points ahead of the toughest pursuers.
The national coach is now looking forward to seeing you again in February: At the invitation tournament in England, the opponents are the host team, Spain and Olympic champion Canada. Then Voss-Tecklenburg will see where the German women really stand internationally and what 18 points and a goal difference of 31: 2 from the World Cup qualification are worth. And what expectations the record European champion can go to the European Championships in England in July.
DFB director Oliver Bierhoff recently put it this way for women as well: The aim of a German team must always be to be among the four best in a tournament. In the preliminary round of the European Championship, the German soccer players face Spain as well as Denmark and Finland – no easy task.
What is 100 percent worth in World Cup qualification?
But Voss-Tecklenburg is certain after the victory against Portugal: “We have a good mixture of a piece of carefree and total leadership.” Among the veterans, she named the defensive boss Marina Hegering from Bayern Munich, Paris professional Sara Däbritz and Leupolz, who had returned after a long injury break. Among the younger talents such as Jule Brand from Hoffenheim, Lena Oberdorf and Lena Lattwein from Wolfsburg and Bayern players Klara Bühl and Giulia Gwinn.
Looking back at 2021, Voss-Tecklenburg realized: “That the squad is broad and of very good quality overall. We just see development steps. It is important that we know how we want to play.” They worked intensively on the playbook. “The defensive topic will automatically come to us” – when the strong opponents come.
On the offensive, the national coach can also rely on striker Lea Schüller: The Munich-based woman scored 1-0 against Portugal (15th minute) and thus the 23rd goal in her 34th international match. In front of just 500 spectators at the Estádio de São Luís, Svenja Huth (23rd) and Leupolz (28th) from Wolfsburg also met, who said: “We’re happy about six wins in six games in the World Cup, and I think that we can be proud of it. “