In his last game as women’s national coach, Horst Hrubesch is aiming for bronze. He compliments his players after their semi-final defeat against the USA.
Germany’s women’s soccer team reacted to their semi-final defeat against the USA at the Olympics with tears, but also defiance. “We did really well for long stretches,” said Giulia Gwinn, who wore the captain’s armband for the ill Alexandra Popp in the 0:1 defeat after extra time thanks to a goal by Sophia Smith (95th minute). After missing the final in Paris, the DFB women will now play against the world champions from Spain in Lyon on Friday (3 p.m.) for third place.
“We are all ready and definitely don’t want to go home empty-handed,” said Gwinn. National coach Horst Hrubesch, who will be replaced by Christian Wück after the Olympics, said: “Today we’ll put our heads down, tomorrow we’ll get up again.”
After the 1:4 defeat in the preliminary round, the DFB women delivered a passionate war of attrition to the Americans this time and even had a chance to equalize through Laura Freigang.
“We were completely on it. If it had gone to penalties, we would have won it,” said Popp’s representative Sydney Lohmann, referring to goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger’s penalty heroics in the quarter-final against Canada.
“We have a second match point”
Eight years after the gold triumph in Rio, it would be the fourth bronze medal for the German women’s soccer team at the Summer Games. “Before, nobody would have believed that we would even be here. We still have a chance of bronze, so a second match point,” said Hrubesch. “We will try to use it. I also told the girls: I can only congratulate them on the way they played.”
The fact that he leaves with a medal on Friday is not so important. “I already have one,” said the former HSV striker. In 2016 in Rio, he as head coach and the German men won silver – after losing the final against Brazil on penalties. “For me it would be important that the girls get one. That will be difficult enough,” said Hrubesch.
Source: Stern
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