The past few days haven’t gone badly for Annike Krahn – firstly defeating France in the pulsating World Cup quarterfinal, before being voted Player of the Match by the fans soon after. In an interview with DFB.de, she gave her thoughts on that France encounter and what she expects from the upcoming semi-final against USA.
DFB.de: Annike Krahn, you were voted as Player of the Match in the quarterfinal game against France. What does it mean to you?
Annike Krahn: It surprises me, honestly, as defenders aren’t at the forefront very often and I’m often criticised from the outside. So it’s obviuosly nice and I’m delighted about it. I’m especially happy I was able to help my team.
DFB.de: What’s your analysis of the quarterfinal against France?
Krahn: We all know that we didn’t have our best game. We weren’t there really in the first half alone. We improved in the second half but it wasn’t satisfactory. At the end of the day, only the result matters. We prevailed on penalties and are very happy about it. We’re happy we’re in the semi-finals.
DFB.de: USA now await you.
Krahn: The American’s playing style is completely different to that of the French. We all know that we have to be present from the first minute. With USA, a strong opponent awaits us.
DFB.de: After Norway, Sweden and France, it’s not the first demanding opponent...
The past few days haven’t gone badly for Annike Krahn – firstly defeating France in the pulsating World Cup quarterfinal, before being voted Player of the Match by the fans soon after. In an interview with DFB.de, she gave her thoughts on that France encounter and what she expects from the upcoming semi-final against USA.
DFB.de: Annike Krahn, you were voted as Player of the Match in the quarterfinal game against France. What does it mean to you?
Annike Krahn: It surprises me, honestly, as defenders aren’t at the forefront very often and I’m often criticised from the outside. So it’s obviuosly nice and I’m delighted about it. I’m especially happy I was able to help my team.
DFB.de: What’s your analysis of the quarterfinal against France?
Krahn: We all know that we didn’t have our best game. We weren’t there really in the first half alone. We improved in the second half but it wasn’t satisfactory. At the end of the day, only the result matters. We prevailed on penalties and are very happy about it. We’re happy we’re in the semi-finals.
DFB.de: USA now await you.
Krahn: The American’s playing style is completely different to that of the French. We all know that we have to be present from the first minute. With USA, a strong opponent awaits us.
DFB.de: After Norway, Sweden and France, it’s not the first demanding opponent...
Krahn: We’ve had some really tough games already, but that happens. It also showed us that we can compete against strong sides. It’s definitely a positive thing.
DFB.de: What do you think are the strengths of the American team?
Krahn: Definitely in terms of fitness. But they’re also mentally strong. And they of course have an awful lot of experience in their squad. I’m expecting a similar atmosphere to the French game. The crowd will definitely be against us and cheer on USA loudly. But that motivates us even more.
DFB.de: And it pushes you?
Krahn: Yeah! You saw in the France game that we had an unbelievable team spirit. I believe the fourth official had to warn the players on the bench on multiple occasions, as they always leapt off the bench and were with us. You also saw that our whole team is behind us and that pleases us. Our team is truly extremely strong in terms of character and our team spirit is so strong. It’s just incredibly fun to be a part of this team.
