The Germany women’s national team fell to a defeat in their first game of the UEFA Nations League, as they were beaten 2-0 by Denmark in Viborg. The side will have another chance to get their first points on the board and take a step towards Olympics qualification when they play against Iceland in Bochum on Tuesday (18:15 CEST).
“We struggled a bit in the first 45. You sensed that the team were still affected by the last few results,” said assistant coach Britta Carlson, who took charge of the team for the game. “You could see that there was some good energy about the team, especially in the second half. I think we deserved to level the game up at 1-1. After that, the game slipped away from up, but the chances were there to be taken.”
Carlson stepped in for Germany head coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, who is suffering from an illness. As per usual, Merle Frohms started in goal, with a centre-back partnership Kathrin Hendrich and Marina Hegering in front of her. Left-back Felicitas Rauch and right-back Sarai Linder completed the back four. Lena Oberdorf held things together in the middle of the park and allowed midfielders Lina Magull and Sydney Lohmann to get forward. Captain Alexandra Popp started up front and was supported by Klara Bühl on the left wing and Nicole Anyomi on the right.
Vangsgaard shocks Germany
Magull had the first good chance to score a few minutes after kick-off, but her effort was blocked in the box. It was an even game, with Germany having the lion’s share of possession, but the hosts focusing on getting the ball back and playing on the counter. The Danish set-up would lead to the opener in the 23rd minute: Pernille Harder broke away down the left-hand side and played the ball into the middle of the pitch for Amalie Vangsgaard. The Danish striker shrugged off Rauch and gave Frohms no chance, slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner.
Germany were generally defensively strong, but did poorly in the final third. Mistakes and inaccurate passing prevented good attacks. In the 35th minute, Anyomi broke through on the right flank for the first time, but her ball into Popp was cleared at the last second. At the other end, Frederikke Thögersen advanced into the penalty area in the 43rd minute but shot over the bar.
Pressure goes unrewarded
At the start of the second half, Jule Brand and Giulia Gwinn replaced Anyomi and Linder. Initially, that did not change the course of the game much, with Germany continuing to lack confidence. But then came the best chance in the 53rd minute: Popp crossed from the right wing and the unmarked Lohmann’s header was just too high. An injection of energy then surged through the team. This time, Lohmann fed Popp, but her 56th-minute header also failed to find the net. The pressure on the Danish goal grew almost by the minute.
Carlson brought more fresh legs into the game in the shape of Lena Lattwein, who replaced Magull in the 60th minute. At this point, the match was being played largely in the hosts’ half, but it was Denmark who were celebrating again. In the 64th minute, Vangsgaard sprung onto an underhit back pass and slotted the ball into an empty net.
The Danes now managed to regain control of the game, though Germany did not admit defeat and continued to try everything. Lea Schüller was introduced in the final stages to bolster the attack, replacing Lohmann in the 81st minute. A goal to halve the deficit was however not forthcoming.