Germany’s soccer players have won the “final” for participation in the Olympics against the Netherlands and are heading to Paris. The selection of the German Football Association (DFB) won 2-0 against the Netherlands on Wednesday evening (February 28, 2024) in Heerenveen.
Klara Bühl got Horst Hrubesch’s selection on their way to Paris with her goal in the 66th minute. Lea Schüller made everything clear with the goal to make the final score 2-0 (78th).
The game for third place in the Nations League became the final for participation in the Olympics because France was in the final against Spain (0-2), as the host team had already qualified for the games in Paris. This freed up another Olympic ticket for a European team, which the DFB team now secured.
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Germany last qualified for the Summer Games in 2016. The first Olympic victory was achieved in Rio de Janeiro. Overall, it is the women’s national team’s sixth participation in the Olympic Games.
Another Olympic tournament now awaits 72-year-old Horst Hrubesch, who lost the final as coach of the men’s team in Rio in 2016: “It’s not about me. The important thing was that the girls fulfill their dream.” said Hrubesch at the sports show microphone. Hrubesch said that the many wasted chances in the semi-final against France really annoyed him: “But we used the second match point, it was absolutely deserved.”
Hrubesch spoke of an important signal after the exit from the World Cup and the early elimination of the German clubs from the Champions League. “The potential is there. The clubs have done a lot to develop the players. We as the DFB, with the clubs, now have to make sure that we get even more out of this potential. I’m not worried.”
After successfully qualifying for the Olympics, match winner Schüller announced a night of partying in the small Frisian town: “It will be a hotel demolition.”
DFB team superior from kick-off
The German team took the initiative right from the start and put the Dutch under pressure. It took until the 25th minute for the first real chance, but Sjoeke Nüsken hit the post with her shot from the edge of the penalty area.
But it remained a game of nerves because the German defense seemed vulnerable to the Dutch advances. There was still a lack of precision at the front: Alexandra Popp had a good chance to head after a cross from Giulia Gwinn, but she aimed it straight at goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.
Bühl calms his nerves after the restart
Immediately after the restart, Schüller, who came on as a half-time substitute, celebrated the supposed opening goal, but the goal was conceded due to a narrow offside position. Van Domselaar destroyed another great chance for the Munich woman with a brilliant performance. Her teammate Bühl did it better by 60 seconds, carefully putting the ball into the net from close range after strong preparatory work from Lena Oberdorf.
The German team now seemed liberated: Schüller failed with the next big chance from van Domselaar, but beat the strong keeper with a header to score the decisive second goal less than 120 seconds later.
Popp: “Incredibly proud of the team”
“I’m incredibly proud of the team that we made it in such a decisive game,” said leader Popp. “It was brutally difficult to deal with the pressure. I’m pleased that we managed to win the game with the necessary will and the necessary aggressiveness. We all deserve to go to the Olympics.”
