DFB.de: What characteristics do Norway have?
Šašić: The team is well equipped. Norway have very experienced players. In attack, such as Ada Hegerberg and Isabell Helovsen for example. Norway have plenty of tournament experience, they’re used to playing Germany in this kind of scenario at a World Cup. Whatever happens, it will be a tough match.
DFB.de: You set up the decisive goal to make it 1-0 in the 2013 European Championships Final against Norway. Do you still think back to these kinds of situations.
Šašić: It’s of course pretty good, when you remember it well or I’m happy if someone reminds you of it. But these days, my mind isn’t really on these kind of scenarios. The current tournament is the only thing in the forefront for me. Memories from the EURO 2013 Final won’t guide us to victory on Thursday. Only the here and now counts. We have to give everything as a team. The match against Norway will be a real challenge.
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The 10-0 victory over Ivory Coast was a dream start for the DFB Women. Celia Šašić netted a hat-trick in the process. Silvia Neid’s side have a significantly trickier task ahead of them on Thursday, when they play their next group game of the tournament against Norway, in what is a repeat of the EURO 2013 Final.
Forward Šašić spoke with editor Paula Widmerüber in an interview with DFB.de on the European runners-up Norway, her first impressions of the World Cup and memories from the 2013 European Championships Final.
DFB.de: You won your first game at the World Cup, are you now 100% into the tournament?
Celia Šašić: Of course. It was very important for us to make a good start. It gives you a good feeling. We were competitive from the off. We created lots of chances in our first game against Ivory Coast, took lots of those and had different goalscorers, so that we can all take a good feeling with us into the next match.
DFB.de: How have you followed the other matches and what are your first impressions of the World Cup?
Šašić: I follow the other games, even watching some together with the team. There have been some exciting encounters too. I’m thinking of the 3-3 draw between Sweden and Nigeria for example. It’s gone how we expected it would: It’s a highly contested tournament with some strong players, as early as the group phases.
DFB.de: Norway are you next opponents, what are you expecting from them?
Šašić: We already know Norway very well, as we’ve often faced one another at tournaments in the past. It will be a completely different game. We have to be aggressive against Norway, be robust, compact and come out on top in the challenges. We need to create chances and convert them. We certainly won’t get as many chances against Norway as we did against Ivory Coast.
DFB.de: What characteristics do Norway have?
Šašić: The team is well equipped. Norway have very experienced players. In attack, such as Ada Hegerberg and Isabell Helovsen for example. Norway have plenty of tournament experience, they’re used to playing Germany in this kind of scenario at a World Cup. Whatever happens, it will be a tough match.
DFB.de: You set up the decisive goal to make it 1-0 in the 2013 European Championships Final against Norway. Do you still think back to these kinds of situations.
Šašić: It’s of course pretty good, when you remember it well or I’m happy if someone reminds you of it. But these days, my mind isn’t really on these kind of scenarios. The current tournament is the only thing in the forefront for me. Memories from the EURO 2013 Final won’t guide us to victory on Thursday. Only the here and now counts. We have to give everything as a team. The match against Norway will be a real challenge.