This Friday morning, Germany’s women’s national side set off on their journey home from Vancouver, taking with them a 2-1 win over FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 hosts Canada. National coach Silvia Neid’s side celebrated a well-deserved victory at the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver thanks to a first-half goal from Lena Lotzen and a second-half penalty from Simone Laudehr, with Sophie Schmidt equalising for the hosts just after the break.
Germany ended their season on a high note with an impressive and energetic performance. One player who worked tirelessly for 90 minutes, picked up several bruises and scrapes, scored a goal and won her team’s winning penalty was Lena Lotzen. In an exclusive DFB.de interview with reporter Annette Seitz, the Bayern Munich striker discussed what she has learned on the Canada trip, her team’s performance and the prospect of World Cup qualification.
DFB.de: Is there any part of your body that doesn’t hurt after that match?
Lena Lotzen: (smiles) It’s hard to tell; I think everything hurts a little. It’s nothing serious but it was an exhausting game. Every muscle aches slightly more than usual after matches like that.
DFB.de: How do you explain the team’s ability to keep delivering such spirited performances at the end of a season?
Lotzen: We knew Canada would be strong opponents. We didn’t want to leave the pitch as losers and were determined to end our season with a win. It was clear to us that we had to give everything to achieve that, especially as the Canadians performed so well.
DFB.de: What have you learned from this trip?
Lotzen: We had the opportunity to get to know the local conditions and try out the artificial turf. That was very important for us, because it enabled us to get an idea of what awaits us here next year.
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This Friday morning, Germany’s women’s national side set off on their journey home from Vancouver, taking with them a 2-1 win over FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 hosts Canada. National coach Silvia Neid’s side celebrated a well-deserved victory at the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver thanks to a first-half goal from Lena Lotzen and a second-half penalty from Simone Laudehr, with Sophie Schmidt equalising for the hosts just after the break.
Germany ended their season on a high note with an impressive and energetic performance. One player who worked tirelessly for 90 minutes, picked up several bruises and scrapes, scored a goal and won her team’s winning penalty was Lena Lotzen. In an exclusive DFB.de interview with reporter Annette Seitz, the Bayern Munich striker discussed what she has learned on the Canada trip, her team’s performance and the prospect of World Cup qualification.
DFB.de: Is there any part of your body that doesn’t hurt after that match?
Lena Lotzen: (smiles) It’s hard to tell; I think everything hurts a little. It’s nothing serious but it was an exhausting game. Every muscle aches slightly more than usual after matches like that.
DFB.de: How do you explain the team’s ability to keep delivering such spirited performances at the end of a season?
Lotzen: We knew Canada would be strong opponents. We didn’t want to leave the pitch as losers and were determined to end our season with a win. It was clear to us that we had to give everything to achieve that, especially as the Canadians performed so well.
DFB.de: What have you learned from this trip?
Lotzen: We had the opportunity to get to know the local conditions and try out the artificial turf. That was very important for us, because it enabled us to get an idea of what awaits us here next year.
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DFB.de: Although Germany haven’t quite qualified for the World Cup yet, second-placed Russia played out a draw against Ireland on Thursday. What does that mean for your team?
Lotzen: That’s a good result for us, as it means we only need a point from our last two World Cup qualifiers in September in order to qualify. That said, we’re still aiming to get two wins.
DFB.de:What’s next on your agenda?
Lotzen: Definitely a holiday! Bayern Munich’s pre-season training doesn’t start until 16 July, so before that I’ll relax, go and visit my family at home and then go away for a week. It’ll just be good to enjoy some time away from football.
