- Germany beat Austria 2-0 in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in Brentford.
- The losers show a committed performance, but are unlucky with 3 (!) aluminum hits.
- In the semifinals, Germany will face France or the Netherlands in a week on Wednesday.
“You win games with a good attack, win titles with a good defense” is a truism in football. At the women’s EURO in England, Germany is currently proof that there is a grain of truth in that.
After the 2:0 in the quarter final against Austria, the Germans are still without a goal after the 4th game and are undefeated in the last 4. The fact that the “0” is still there is not solely due to goalkeeper Merle Frohms and the people in front of her .
Slat and uprights on both sides
Because in Brentford it was anything but a show run that the favorites offered in the neighborhood duel. The Austrians saw their shots bounce off the edge of the goal 3 (!) times:
- 13 minutes: In the first quarter of an hour, defender Marina Georgieva was left criminally alone after a corner kick. Your header hits the post.
- 53 minutes: Frohms is a tad too far in front of the goal. Barbara Dunst fails with her attempt from a great distance against the crossbar.
- Only 3 minutes later a shot by Sarah Puntigam bounces off the post.
Germany, on the other hand, was initially more efficient in the end. With the first real chance, Lina Magull brought her colors in front after 25 minutes. After that, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s players missed a number of top chances – and failed twice on the post and crossbar.
In the end, it was up to veteran Alexandra Popp to make the decision 2-0 in the 90th minute. The 31-year-old took advantage of a major mistake by Austria’s goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger on a tee. However, it was a lapse that had announced itself: it had become dangerous again and again when the 26-year-old had the ball at her feet.
For Austria, the EURO 2022 ended a round earlier than the last event in the Netherlands in 2017. The statistics show where the problem was: In the last 9 EURO games, Austria conceded only 4 goals – but there is still room for improvement on the offensive up.
Germany’s European Championship adventure continues next Wednesday with the semifinals. Then the opponents will be either France or the Netherlands.