In their final EURO 2025 qualifying game, the Germany women’s national team beat Austria 4-0 in front of 43,953 spectators at a sold-out Heinz von Heiden Arena in Hanover. This was a strong performance and result in their last game before the Olympics. Klara Bühl opened the scoring for her side (11’), before Jule Brand added a second just before half time (39’). In the second half, Lea Schüller netted a third (52’) and Bühl then got her second in injury time (90+3’).
“For me, it was important that the players showed what they can do and a different side of themselves than in Iceland. We wanted to get a positive result. It could have been even more comfortable,” said head coach Horst Hrubesch. “The atmosphere in Rostock for the last home game was already great, but here was the best yet.” Two-goal Klara Bühl agreed with Hrubesch. “The fans were with us all game. It’s an incredible feeling. If you’re sometimes missing a bit of energy, all you have to do is look to the supporters,” she said. “We were on our game from the start today and that was very important. It gave us confidence and courage, which we’ll take into the upcoming games.”
Horst Hrubesch named Ann-Katrin Berger in goal, with Kathrin Hendrich and Bibiane Schulze Solano as centre-backs. Sarai Linder on the left and captain Giulia Gwinn on the right were the full-backs. Lena Oberdorf and Janina Minge started in defensive midfield, with Bühl and Brand as wingers. Laura Freigang and Schüller operated as the front two.
Bühl and Brand on the scoresheet
Germany started on the front foot, although Austria also posed a danger at the other end. The hosts’ first opportunity came immediately, as Brand crossed from the left and the ball fell for Bühl, who was on hand to finish from around six yards out. Germany then kept on getting into dangerous positions, but the final pass wasn’t always perfect.
Austria didn’t roll over and continued to cause trouble down the wings. Germany’s defence remained focused however, and the attack were clinical at the other end. Brand collected a long ball from Berger to perfectly place a shot into the corner from around 16 yards out.
Third time lucky for Schüller
Elisa Senß replaced Freigang at the break, and the German defence came out of the blocks firing. Schüller firstly shot wide (49’), before heading against the crossbar (50’). She made no mistake at the third time of asking however. Senß won the ball in the attacking half and found Schüller in the penalty area, who slotted home from close range.
The fourth goal was always coming. Another long ball from Berger landed at the feet of Bühl, who was denied in a one-on-one by Manuela Zinsberger, and her second attempt was cleared off the line (55’). In the 65th minute, Germany made another change as Felicitas Rauch came on for Linder. Shortly afterwards, Oberdorf had to be substituted due to injury, with Sjoeke Nüsken replacing her (72’).
The dying embers of the game passed without much incident, and most of the action happened in the centre of the pitch. Brand got a deserved round of applause when she came off for Vivien Endemann (88’). The match came to life again just before the end. Firstly, a header from Nüsken crossed the line before being cleared by an Austria defender, but the referee didn’t give the goal (90+1’). Then, Bühl again got on the end of a long ball from Berger, and this time held her nerve to finish past Zinsberger.
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In their final EURO 2025 qualifying game, the Germany women’s national team beat Austria 4-0 in front of 43,953 spectators at a sold-out Heinz von Heiden Arena in Hanover. This was a strong performance and result in their last game before the Olympics. Klara Bühl opened the scoring for her side (11’), before Jule Brand added a second just before half time (39’). In the second half, Lea Schüller netted a third (52’) and Bühl then got her second in injury time (90+3’).
“For me, it was important that the players showed what they can do and a different side of themselves than in Iceland. We wanted to get a positive result. It could have been even more comfortable,” said head coach Horst Hrubesch. “The atmosphere in Rostock for the last home game was already great, but here was the best yet.” Two-goal Klara Bühl agreed with Hrubesch. “The fans were with us all game. It’s an incredible feeling. If you’re sometimes missing a bit of energy, all you have to do is look to the supporters,” she said. “We were on our game from the start today and that was very important. It gave us confidence and courage, which we’ll take into the upcoming games.”
Horst Hrubesch named Ann-Katrin Berger in goal, with Kathrin Hendrich and Bibiane Schulze Solano as centre-backs. Sarai Linder on the left and captain Giulia Gwinn on the right were the full-backs. Lena Oberdorf and Janina Minge started in defensive midfield, with Bühl and Brand as wingers. Laura Freigang and Schüller operated as the front two.
Bühl and Brand on the scoresheet
Germany started on the front foot, although Austria also posed a danger at the other end. The hosts’ first opportunity came immediately, as Brand crossed from the left and the ball fell for Bühl, who was on hand to finish from around six yards out. Germany then kept on getting into dangerous positions, but the final pass wasn’t always perfect.
Austria didn’t roll over and continued to cause trouble down the wings. Germany’s defence remained focused however, and the attack were clinical at the other end. Brand collected a long ball from Berger to perfectly place a shot into the corner from around 16 yards out.
Third time lucky for Schüller
Elisa Senß replaced Freigang at the break, and the German defence came out of the blocks firing. Schüller firstly shot wide (49’), before heading against the crossbar (50’). She made no mistake at the third time of asking however. Senß won the ball in the attacking half and found Schüller in the penalty area, who slotted home from close range.
The fourth goal was always coming. Another long ball from Berger landed at the feet of Bühl, who was denied in a one-on-one by Manuela Zinsberger, and her second attempt was cleared off the line (55’). In the 65th minute, Germany made another change as Felicitas Rauch came on for Linder. Shortly afterwards, Oberdorf had to be substituted due to injury, with Sjoeke Nüsken replacing her (72’).
The dying embers of the game passed without much incident, and most of the action happened in the centre of the pitch. Brand got a deserved round of applause when she came off for Vivien Endemann (88’). The match came to life again just before the end. Firstly, a header from Nüsken crossed the line before being cleared by an Austria defender, but the referee didn’t give the goal (90+1’). Then, Bühl again got on the end of a long ball from Berger, and this time held her nerve to finish past Zinsberger.
