Football: News and Updates from the Field - Women's DFB team secures European Championship berth through Polish victory.
Despite a distressing moment when star player Lena Oberdorf was substituted early on, the German women's soccer team has successfully advanced to the 2025 European Championship in Switzerland. This was due to their 3-1 win over Poland, which secured their spot in the top two positions in their group.
Lea Schüller scored twice (in the 52nd and 69th minutes) after Dominika Grabowska (12th) had given the host nation an early lead. Klara Bühl sealed the victory with a last-minute goal in the 77th minute.
Just four days after a 4-1 victory at home in Rostock, Horst Hrubesch, the national coach, made six changes to his starting lineup against Poland, who had not won a single game so far. Even team captain Alexandra Popp watched from the bench as Oberdorf, who was making her 50th international appearance, led the DFB team onto the field as captain.
Oberdorf had to be carried off the field in tears in the 37th minute after a courageous tackle. She received a painful blow to her left shin, and it's unclear how long she'll be out of the game. At the very least, she'll miss the upcoming qualifying match against Iceland on July 12 due to her second yellow card.
Without Oberdorf, Hrubesch's chances of winning a medal at the Paris Games are significantly reduced. The lineup includes a match against Australia on July 25, followed by record world champions USA on July 28 and Zambia on July 31.
Poland took an early lead, as they did in Rostock four days ago. Grabowska scored in the 12th minute from close range, and the German defense wasn't especially attentive during the subsequent free kick. Stina Johannes, who was making her international debut in goal, wasn't responsible for the goal since she had little involvement in the match.
Before the game, Hrubesch had insisted that the team shouldn't be sluggish from the beginning, but they failed to heed his words. The game's first half lacked energy, sufferance, and swiftness. There were plenty of opportunities against Poland, but the Germans were often too hasty. Schüller, a former striker, nearly scored by heading the ball off the crossbar. Hrubesch, a former striker himself, covered his face in shock during parts of the game.
The Germans improved after the break and created more opportunities. Bühl, who scored off a corner, set up Schüller for the equalizer. Schüller had two early header attempts stopped by Polish goalkeeper Kinga Szemik, but she managed to score the third goal after a pass from Giulia Gwinn.
The Germans pressed for more goals against a tiring Polish team. Bühl capped off her excellent performance with a low shot for the final 3-1 score.
