Olympia-Football - DFB-Women are aiming for a win against Sambia
German women's footballers aim for a win against Sambia in their last group game on Wednesday (19.00 Uhr/ARD and Eurosport) in Saint-Étienne to make it to the Olympic quarterfinals. "We didn't play that badly and nothing more happened", said Bundestrainer Horst Hrubesch after the 1:4 loss against the four-time gold medalists in Marseille.
The US squad, coached by English trainer Emma Hayes, leads Group B with six points. Germany is second, ahead of Australia (both three), which won wildly against the next German opponent, Sambia, with a score of 6:5. For Hrubesch's team, it's a Wednesday meeting (19.00 Uhr/ARD and Eurosport) with the pointless table leader.
Possible encounter with USA in the semifinals
"We're not overconfident and don't say we'll win every game and sail through. There's no reason to hang our heads", said the 73-year-old, looking at the entire round robin and reminding of the 3:0 win against Australia in the opening game: "I just told the girls, we'll play the way we did in the first game. Maybe we'll meet the Americans in the semifinals again. Then we'll see what happens."
Bad memories of Sambia
Sambia, which has two top strikers in Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji, once caught the German team off guard: In the last test game before the 2023 World Cup, the German squad lost to the Africans in Fürth with a score of 2:3.
Captain Alexandra Popp emphasized after the setback on the way to the hoped-for medal: "We're not that bad with three points, but we want to win every game. That's our route against Sambia."
The German women still have a chance, as the two best third-placed teams from the three groups advance. However, the hope of advancing as group leaders to Paris and the Olympic Village has significantly decreased.
- Emma Hayes, the English coach of the United States women's soccer team, has led her squad to the top of Group B with six points.
- In the preliminary round, Germany is currently second in Group B, trailing the US team, with both Germany and Australia having three points each.
- Horst Hrubesch, the German coach, noted that they shouldn't be overconfident, citing their previous 3:0 win against Australia in the opening game.
- In the last group game on Wednesday, Germany will face Zambia, aiming for a victory to secure a spot in the Olympic quarterfinals.
- Bad memories of Zambia linger for the German national team, as they lost to the Africans in a test game before the 2023 World Cup with a score of 2:3.
- Captain Alexandra Popp stressed the importance of winning every game, despite their current third-place position, in preparation for their game against Zambia.
- The German women's football team must still contend with the possibility of advancing as one of the two best third-placed teams from their group, with France and Germany historically being strong rivals.
- If Germany and the United States meet in the semifinals, as suggested by Hrubesch, it would be a rematch of their opening game, which Germany won 3:0.
