Get up and running again against Thailand and then quickly return to Ottawa as group winners: In the sleeping town of Winnipeg, the Germany Women’s national team are concentrating on their crucial bits and pieces ahead of their final group game today (22:00 CEST).
The players have no desire to do calculations or ‘what-would-be’ scenarios for the final 16, as they look to bring the trophy back to Germany. “Doing calculations only makes me more nervous. I’m not at the Maths Olympiad here,” said left-back Tabea Kemme. “If we want to make our title dream come alive, then we have to beat every opponent.” Head coach Silvia Neid made it clear: “You can’t plan it. We want to play well, always get something from the game, and then we’ll see who our next opponent is.”
Germany well-placed
Germany’s position is clear: They go into their final group game as Group B leaders with four points, with Norway, level on points with them, playing Ivory Coast at the same time. Both are huge favourites to win their respective matches, but Norway still have to make up a six-goal swing in order to beat Germany on goal difference – an unlikely scenario.
With regards to their first opponent in the knockout phase, we’re spared the calculations as everything is open until the end of the group stages. As group winners, they will face one of the best third-placed teams from Groups A, C or D (currently Netherlands, Cameroon or Sweden), with second place in Group B taking on second in Group F (currently England).
Anyhow, the group winners have a less tiresome travelling schedule. The final 16 matches are in Ottawa and then it’s just 200km away in Montréal for both the quarter and semi-finals. The second-placed team in the group has to travel for over five hours for the quarterfinals to the West coast to Vancouver.
Changes to Germany line-up
Neid will grant one or two key performers a breather against the world’s 29th-ranked nation after two exhausting matches on the artificial turf. Both midfielder Simone Laudehr (muscle rupture) and striker Alexandra Popp (knee) came out of the Norway match with war wounds. “Simone probably won’t play,” Neid explained. Melanie Leupolz is fit again after nursing pubic bone bruising after the 10-0 win over the Ivory Coast. “We’re hoping for a lot from Melanie,” said Neid.
World Cup debutants Thailand, who triumphed 3-2 over Ivory Coast after losing 4-0 to Norway, are described by Kemme as ‘dangerous opponents, who are always on the spot.” Against the “small, lively and technically experienced” Asian nation, the two-time World- and eight-time European Champions have the clear physical upper hand, which they will utilise at the Winnipeg Stadium. After muggy hot temperatures and storms in the unspectacular state capital of Manitoba province, the Germans are hoping for a turnaround in the weather. “It’s already had a big impact on us, on the artificial pitch too, which will get very hot. It can steadily get colder,” Kemme said.
