Germany came from behind to beat Denmark and all but confirm their place in the quarter-finals.
A Sjoeke Nüsken spot kick and a Lea Schüller screamer secured three points for Die Nationalelf, whilst Amalie Vangsgaard’s opener was not enough to save De Rød-Hvide from possible elimination.
The Lineups
GER: Berger; Wamser, Minge, Knaak, Linder; Senß, Nüsken; Brand, Dallmann, Bühl; Schüller
DEN: Bay; Færge, Ballisager, Veje; Thøgersen, K. Holmgaard, Snerle, S. Holmgaard; Thomsen, Vangsgaard, Harder
The Action
After Germany had their 18th-minute opener chalked off by VAR, it was Denmark who put themselves ahead. Two fantastic individual efforts from Janni Thomsen and Amalie Vangsgaard quietened the vocal German fanbase who had turned up in their numbers. Thomsen slid seamlessly through the opposition backline, for Vangsgaard’s beautiful run and even more beautiful finish to do the job.
Christian Wück’s side found the equaliser early in the second half, when they were awarded a highly-contested penalty after having one denied before half-time. Nüsken converted coolly from the spot, and Germany were level.
It was Lea Schüller who put Germany’s second past Andrée Jeglertz’s side. A smooth finish across the gole evoked a roar around the stadium, a ruthless strike putting Germany in front for the first time this evening.
The victory was not without further controversy though, as Danish midfielder Emma Snerle was down injured after being struck at force in the head by the ball.
Germany’s place in the quarter-finals will be confirmed if Sweden beat Poland in the other Group C match this evening.
Denmark’s downfall
While they had fewer chances in the second half, the Danes overall struggled to make the essentials happen with the final ball. Being (potentially) knocked out of the competition is a cruel consequence of a lack of clinicalness.
Another issue for Denmark was fatigue. Germany have pace, and their strength stayed up for the whole 90+ minutes. Unfortunately for Denmark, the same could not be said for them. Germany made them fight for every touch, and the result of this was some sloppiness and a failure to keep hold of the ball.
A mention must go to Nadia Nadim, who was the primary source of promiuse for the Danish in the latter half. Her creativity shone in moments, but the Germans refused to concede oince they had found their way back.
Combative Germany make it happen
Perhaps a 2-1 scoreline is not reflective of the German giants’ dominance. Now on the verge of the knockouts, they stubbornly kept possession throughout the duration of the second half and could have scored plenty more goals.
Klara Bühl, desptite not getting on the scoresheet, was particularly instrumental in the victory. Her role in forcing Denmark to play out of possession had a massive influence on how the game played out.
Germany’s first half had been underwhelming, however. There was less energy, but the momentum certainly shifted after the break. This German side showed that they have the skillset, the personnel, and the mentality to make it happen. In a touching tribute, the squad paid tribute to Giulia Gwinn after the defender’s tournament was cut short by injury.
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