National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg and the German soccer players go into the second group game against Colombia at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand with great respect.
The “Caféteras” came second in the South American championship and won their opening game 2-0 against South Korea. The DFB team has to improvise in defense in Sydney today. What is important for the Vice European Champions:
The DFB officials have been warning of the physicality of the Colombians for days. Joti Chatzialexiou, head of the national teams at the association of the women’s world champions in 2003 and 2007, demanded: “Don’t complain too much and don’t pull your leg back, just hold out.” “I think they’ll always be on our feet,” said playmaker Lina Magull from FC Bayern, but also emphasized: “We will also accept the certain toughness in the game. This is nothing new for us.”
In Wolfsburg’s Felicitas Rauch, the left-back is out due to a sprained knee, Chantal Hagel could replace her. Voss-Tecklenburg recently had to improvise on the right: the experienced, normally offensive winger Svenja Huth played there at the back. In the center, the use of defense chief Marina Hegering is still questionable. Sara Doorsoun would be ready for them again. The big plus could be the sixth position in front: Lena Oberdorf, one of the best in defensive midfield worldwide, should return after recovering from a thigh injury.
There was a problem even in the 6-0 win against Morocco. “We have to avoid losing the ball lightly, especially in the direction of the centre, against other opponents,” said Huth from Wolfsburg. The experienced ball distributors Lina Magull and Sara Däbritz are particularly in demand.
The determined Klara Bühl on the left and the fast Jule Brand on the right should also feed Alexandra Popp with crosses. The DFB captain and striker is considered extremely dangerous with a header – as her two goals against Morocco have shown once again.
Voss-Tecklenburg repeatedly emphasized the strength of their squad. For example, the two attackers Nicole Anyomi and Lea Schüller can bring new momentum from the bench. Especially with Bayern ace Schüller, Germany’s “Soccer Player of the Year 2022”, the quota of 32 goals in 48 international matches speaks for itself.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:230730-99-604588/3