Olympic Games beckon: "Very special match" for DFB women

National team - Olympic Games beckon: "Very special match" for DFB women

Sara Däbritz has stirred up the emotions once again ahead of what feels like the final match for the Paris ticket.

"The Olympic Games that I was able to experience with the national team are always in my heart. They are unforgettable, indescribable," enthused the 28-year-old about the triumph of the German women's soccer team in Rio de Janeiro in 2016: "Perhaps precisely because we won gold."

Däbritz would like to have an Olympic summer like that again in 2024. Whether the DFB team of interim national coach Horst Hrubesch can even take part in the tournament - the Nations League clash against Denmark this Friday (20:30/ZDF) in Rostock will be one of the deciding factors. "We have the quality and are clearly convinced that we will decide the game in our favor, just as we need to," said Hrubesch in a media conference.

The runners-up in the European Championships cannot yet secure their place in the Olympics against their neighbors - but they can definitely gamble it away. "Of course we know that it's a very special game," said Däbritz, who plays for Olympique Lyon.

Only first place counts

Only as group winners can the German women's soccer team, who travel to Wales on December 5 to conclude the preliminary round, play for one of the two European Olympic places in the final four-team Nations League tournament at the end of February. In the event of a tie, the direct comparison and then the goal difference will decide.

The crowd at the Ostseestadion is commensurate with the importance of the game, with 18,350 tickets sold by the DFB so far. "We always want to give something back to the fans who come to the stadium for us or watch at home," said central defender Kathrin Hendrich. The best way to do that is with "convincing soccer".

In the first leg in Denmark, there was no sign of this, with the Germans losing 0:2. That's why the DFB team (9 points) will only be helped by a win with at least two goals difference against the group leaders Denmark (12) - then they would take the lead ahead of the final matchday and have the much-needed group win in their own hands. "Of course the pressure is there," said Hendrich from Wolfsburg, "we are aware of the current situation."

"It's worth fighting for"

However, nobody in the German team wants to tense up in the face of the treacherous starting position. "We have to keep playing our game," said Svenja Huth, who is also hoping to enjoy the game, have fun and score an early goal. That would undoubtedly make the difficult mission easier.

Like Däbritz and Alexandra Popp, Huth was part of the gold team in Rio. Back then, Hrubesch won silver with the men's U21 team. "It really is a different event. It's worth fighting for. It's worth giving everything for. I hope that we can experience this as a team," said Däbritz. In order to keep the chance alive, the German game will have to be a lot different than in the first leg, which co-coach Britta Carlson was responsible for.

Missing this time will be Bayern's top scorer Lea Schüller and center Lena Oberdorf from VfL Wolfsburg. Munich's playmaker Pernille Harder is also missing as a key player on the Danish side. "We know that we are capable of beating Denmark. We don't need to do any miracles now and deviate from things we've rehearsed over the years," announced goalkeeper Merle Frohms confidently.

Däbritz and Huth reminisce about 2018

The German players did not qualify for the 2021 Olympics due to their failure at the 2019 World Cup, but Hrubesch wants them to do it again this time. Däbritz and Huth recalled 2018, when the HSV legend had already led the German team to a decisive qualifying victory in Iceland. At that time, it was a question of participation in the World Cup.

The "pressure situation" had therefore existed before, said Däbritz. "Of course, that also helps in games like this, this experience, but also this calmness, so that you don't get into a rush," said Huth. So that the dream of the Olympics can live on - especially after the World Cup debacle in Australia this summer. Otherwise, the DFB women would not have another major tournament appearance until the 2025 European Championships in Switzerland.