Hrubesch counts DFB-Women after harsh setback
With the worst defeat in six years, the German women's football team begins immediate Olympic preparation. Bundestrainer Horst Hrubesch sees starting problems after the holidays, too many errors - and despite a clear statement, no reason to be overly concerned.
The hopes for an Olympic medal that Horst Hrubesch had after the worst defeat of his two tenures with the German football team were not dashed right away. "I have no reservations about that, it was - I believe - the right wake-up call," said the 73-year-old and reaffirmed after the clear 0:3 (0:1) in Iceland: "I still have a good feeling, that's not the problem."
Just two weeks before the first challenge against Australia at the Summer Games, disappointment has set in for the ambitious DFB team and Horst Hrubesch. The German squad missed almost everything in the penultimate warm-up test at the EM qualification game in Reykjavik and wants to make it right on the coming Tuesday (19 hours/ARD and in the liveticker at ntv.de). In Hannover, around 40,000 fans are expected, before the team departs for the Olympics.
"One could see that there was a holiday before," said Hrubesch. "But it's also clear: We have to accept these two-front battles from the start, and what we played was simply bad." The defeat was also deserved at this level.
Missing key players is no excuse
"One could also see that we helped ourselves in all three goals," criticized the European champion of 1980. "Up front, we often made many, many wrong decisions." It was the worst defeat of his two tenures with the DFB women. The last time the national team had lost so badly (0:3 against France) was in March 2018 - it was Steffi Jones' last game as head coach.
Hrubesch had taken over temporarily then and intervened again for the DFB women the following year, this time for the sick Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. After the debacle of the World Cup in Australia, the HSV icon had put the team back on track and led them to the Olympics. However, the German players suffered a heavy blow against the robust Icelandic women, who had already qualified for the EM 2025.
Defender Sarai Linder spoke of a "wake-up call, a wake-up shout," defender Kathrin Hendrich of a "wake-up shaker." No one spoke of the absence of captain Alexandra Popp (foot injury), Lena Oberdorf (yellow card), Sydney Lohmann (muscle problems), and the fact that Abwehrchefin Marina Hegering was rested. The players on the field were too disappointed with themselves.
At the Olympics, the DFB team, 2016 gold medalists with coach Silvia Neid, will face Australia (July 25), the USA (July 28), and Sambia (July 31) in the group stage. They were not the only ones who struggled: The World Cup champions from Spain lost 1:2 in the Czech Republic, ranked 30th in the FIFA World Rankings.
Despite the challenging performance in the EM qualification game against Iceland, Horst Hrubesch remains optimistic about the DFB-Women's Olympic prospects, stating that the 0:3 defeat was a "wake-up call" for the team. The German women's soccer team, containing key players like Alexandra Popp, Lena Oberdorf, and Sydney Lohmann, will aim to improve in their upcoming warm-up match against Australia, which is crucial for their Olympic preparation.
With Horst Hrubesch at the helm, Women's football continues to face unexpected challenges, but the team's experience in overcoming adversity, such as their previous victory under his leadership in the World Cup in Australia, gives hope for a strong showing in the upcoming EM-Qualification and Olympics.
