After a crazy stoppage time of almost a quarter of an hour, the German players stood in a circle, embarrassed, while Zambia’s footballers danced past them, drunk with joy. The DFB-Elf lost 2:3 (0:0) on Friday evening in Fürth against the African World Cup outsider – and that in the last test match before the World Cup departure to Australia.
In front of 11,404 spectators, outstanding striker Barbra Banda (48th minute, 90th 12) and Racheal Kundananji (54th) scored for the visitors. Two headed goals by Lea Schüller (90.1) and captain Alexandra Popp (90.10) were not enough for the DFB team.
“Of course we’re disappointed,” said Popp, criticizing the offensive and defensive behavior. “We just conceded three goals, it was definitely too easy, it shouldn’t happen to us like this,” complained the striker on the ARD microphone. “And going forward we just leave too much behind.” You might be too playful on the sixteen, “and then you will be punished.”
Voss-Tecklenburg: “We have to minimize errors”
National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg also criticized the easy goals conceded. “We have to minimize mistakes, we have to be present in the duels, we have to delete them,” said the 55-year-old. The offensive lacked precision. Also annoying: With Marina Hegering, Lena Oberdorf and Carolin Simon, Voss-Tecklenburg reported three injured players, a “worst-case scenario”.
You have to “listen quietly to what’s going on”. Hegering “got a stud on his heel,” the trainer reported later at the press conference, and Simon “punched his knee during the action.” And Oberdorf was seen with his right thigh bandaged. Precise diagnoses should follow this Saturday. It is clear, however, that one has to resort to “backup solutions”. So more than 23 players are likely to fly to Australia.
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 today’s nomination, 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.
Too many chances were missed
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.
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. Then Schüller and Popp hit a header before a final counterattack sealed the German defeat.
Today, 55-year-old Voss-Tecklenburg will nominate her 23-man squad for the World Cup from July 20 to August 20 in Australia and New Zealand, with departure for Australia on Tuesday. They would have preferred to go to the World Cup with a win “than with a result like this,” she summed up.
