A typical Oberdorf scene: She has noticeably and visibly won a duel. © Adrian Dennis/Getty Images
Although the German team lost their second preliminary round game of the World Cup against Colombia 1:2, there was good news: Lena Oberdorf is back and has overcome her injury. She was immediately the best German player. She fought back resolutely, then took action. It’s exactly the right moment to dedicate an episode to her in Kicken, the soccer podcast from ZEIT ONLINE.
“It establishes a new physical dimension in women’s football,” says Oliver Fritsch. She is an authority on the pitch and “the mistress of the duel.” Christian Spiller admires their slides. “She feels like defending.” It was Oberdorf who most opposed the tough Colombians.
Unsurprisingly, she initiated the equalizer. Shortly before the end, she pushed into the penalty area, although that is not the primary task of a defensive midfielder. There she went around the Colombian goalkeeper, who was only left with a foul. The English Guardian already ranks her among the five best female footballers in the world. It’s quite possible that Lena Oberdorf will climb a few more places.
Both hosts agree on this, but the 21-year-old’s current game still has room for improvement. “She doesn’t always find the right time for her tackling,” complains Spiller. It could add even more playful accents, says Fritsch. “Her time in Essen showed that she can do that.” Surprisingly, the experts differ significantly in their assessments of the Power Card.
Mister X is also back at the start, he is dedicated to two players with goat potential. And in the top 5, the hosts choose the best tacklers, female and male.
“She can kick” is the football podcast from ZEIT ONLINE. It appears every two weeks and is dedicated to the best footballers of our time. We talk less about tactics and more about what really matters in football: the individuality of the players. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can find all episodes of the podcast here.
Scenes we discussed in the episode:
Germany vs ColombiaBest Skills Lena Oberdorf
Although the German team lost their second preliminary round game of the World Cup against Colombia 1:2, there was good news: Lena Oberdorf is back and has overcome her injury. She was immediately the best German player. She fought back resolutely, then took action. It’s exactly the right moment to dedicate an episode to her in Kicken, the soccer podcast from ZEIT ONLINE.
“It establishes a new physical dimension in women’s football,” says Oliver Fritsch. She is an authority on the pitch and “the mistress of the duel.” Christian Spiller admires their slides. “She feels like defending.” It was Oberdorf who most opposed the tough Colombians.
