Countrywide squad - 4:1 win with lightning halt: DFB women progress steadily towards European Championships
Germany's women's football team is on the brink of qualifying for the 2025 European Championship in Switzerland. However, their dominating 4-1 (1-1) win over underdogs Poland in Rostock served as a wake-up call for Horst Hrubesch's team 55 days before their opening match against Australia in the Olympics in Marseille. Despite being in control of the game for almost 90 minutes, the team only managed to convince their fans towards the end of the match.
Natalia Badilla-Bidas caught the crowd off guard with her goal for the visitors just 45 seconds into the game, taking the lead. The equalizer was an unfortunate own goal by Wiktoria Zieniewicz (34'). Goals from Lea Schüller (77') and Giulia Gwinn (84/88, penalty) solidified the team's victory in the final minutes.
Germany tops the group after three matches with nine points, leading Austria and Iceland (both 4 points) and Poland (0). The German team will face Poland again on Tuesday (6:00 pm) in Gdynia and has an opportunity to cement their qualification status. Before the game in Rostock's Ostseestadion, Hrubesch rallied the crowd, but his team received a harsh reality check 28 seconds into the match. Badilla-Bidas, a player for 1. FC Cologne, who was being assured by Wolfsburg's Bundesliga top scorer Ewa Pajor, scored a goal without even facing the German goalkeeper. Germany then took control of the match, but displayed signs of nervousness. They created scoring opportunities but were unsure about their moves. A moment of hesitancy almost gave Poland a 2-0 lead through Pajor in the 17th minute, but Merle Frohms, her former Wolfsburg teammate, acted quickly.
As the game progressed, it became a waiting game for the German team. Inaccuracies disrupted the flow of the game. The absence of captain Alexandra Popp (30') made it difficult to create chances. Four minutes later, Zieniewicz leveled the score for the hosts with a header that found its way into her own net.
At halftime, Hrubesch made three substitutions. He replaced Bibiane Schulze Solano with Marina Hegering, the regular defensive captain. Elisa Senßen and Laura Freigang were brought in to replace Sjoeke Nüsken and Alexandra Popp in the attack. The pressure from the Germans intensified, but the inaccuracies persisted. Lück had a lucky escape in the 63rd minute when Pajot hit the post of the German goal. In the 74th minute, another scare: Hegering had to leave the game early due to a calf injury. Schüller and Gwinn then secured a victorious outcome.
