France 1 Germany 1 (5-6 pens)
July 19 – Germany recovered from a 13th-minute red card to knockout France on penalties following a 1-1 draw and set up a blockbuster semi-final against Spain.
It was German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, a two-time cancer survivor, who led the rearguard action by the record eight-time European champions. In the image of her team, she was not just heroic but also indefatigable in turning the tie around. Following a memorable performance, she saved two spot kicks, including Alice Sombath’s, to send her team to the last four. Crestfallen, France only had themselves to blame after they never capitalised on their numerical advantage.
Early on, a moment of folly from Kathrin Hendrich should have changed the entire destiny of the match. Hendrich, her team and the rest of Germany could not believe. Perhaps no one in the stadium could either, but it took a few replays and an on-field review for the somewhat baffling, if not outright bizarre, truth to emerge: Hendrich, Germany’s stand-in central defender, had pulled the hair of her direct opponent in the box. Why did she think she would get away with it?
The referee didn’t hesitate: Germany’s number three was off in the 13th minute and France awarded a penalty, duly converted by Grace Geyoro, her second goal of the tournament.
The hair pull was so clear that it made no sense at all – and that’s how Germany’s tournament was supposed to fall apart. The Germans had made a lot of noise, the media picked the team as one of the favourites, but what had they actually delivered so far in Switzerland? It was in adversity that Germany rose with dogged defending to land an improbable outcome. Against France, they had heart, combativeness and work rate in spades. Few had given Germany a chance after Hendrich’s departure, but with a huge workman shift and two banks of four, Germany held the French attack at bay.
They enjoyed a brief flourish when Sjoeke Nusken equalised with a pin-point header at the near post in the 26th minute. It was the perfect way to respond to France’s opening goal and Hendrich’s dismissal. Germany were the first team to score a goal after receiving a red card since France at Euro 2017. The German fans roared.
Even so, with a decimated rearguard, Wuck’s team were still up against it. Carlotta Wamser was serving a suspension from the Sweden game, Hendrich was off and at full back, Linder limped off with an injury. At the start of the tournament, Germany had also lost captain Giulia Gwinn.
France had the majority of possession but struggled to impose themselves faced with Germany’s no-nonsense defending. Following a sweeping move and a flick from Delphine Cascarino, Les Bleues did have the ball in the back, but the flag quickly went up for offside in the 39th minute.
The Germans took heart. Every tackle and clearance prompted massive cheers from the German fans who decided that their support was more important than ever. On the left, Cascarino drilled an attempt low at Berger. The German goalkeeper kept out a header from the ensuing corner and Geyoro’s rebound goal in the 57th minute was outlawed because of the offside of Maelle Lakrar, who impeded the goalkeeper.
France streamed forward and a goal felt inevitable, but in this topsy-turvy quarter-final, it almost arrived at the other end. In the French box, Selma Bacha was penalised for a foul on Jule Brand, but goalkeeper Peyraud-Magnin read Nusken’s spot kick well and parried it.
With the clock running down, French manager Laurent Bonadei took off two of his mainstays – Marie-Antoinette Katoko and Cascarino because – against 10 women since the 13th minute – the French needed to offer more. Scrapping for their lives, the ten German players restricted France in the last quarter to longs-efforts to force extra time.
Surprisingly, Wuck didn’t bring on fresh legs until the 99th minute with Lea Schuller replacing Giovanna Schoffmann up top. Berger kept her team in the match with the best save of the tournament after a misguided looping header from her own captain, Janina Minge. At full stretch she clawed the ball back just as it was about to cross the line.
Berger, like her team, was thriving under huge pressure, even if they tired, even if the last minutes became a war of attrition with German legs struggling to keep covering ground. With the very last attempt of the 120 minutes, Mallard rattled the crossbar. Ultimately, France never reproduced the lethalness that tore both England and the Netherlands apart.
In the shoutout, Berger’s memorable performance culminated with decisive stops and, with it, she shut down all the doubts and criticism that had accompanied Germany during the group stages. On Wednesday, the world champions await in Zurich. France’s long wait for a major trophy goes on.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1752987045labto1752987045ofdlr1752987045owedi1752987045sni@i1752987045tnuk.1752987045ardni1752987045mas1752987045