In a line of soldiers, the German footballers stood in their wine-red warm jackets in the Lyse Arena of Stavanger after the final whistle, to thank the 120 traveling supporters from the “Fan Club National Team” and to revel together in the harbor city in the southwest of Norway, after much had fallen into place for the DFB women in their second World Cup qualifying match. The 4-0 away victory over the arguably toughest opponent pleased national coach Christian Wück: “That was a perfect start. We had phases in the game that were phenomenal. It is not easy to perform on artificial turf in Norway. It is important for a top team that they can repeatedly show their superiority on the field.” Passing, runs, and timing were on point, as if the unfamiliar conditions did not exist.
With six points and a 9:0 goal tally, the mission on the road to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil could hardly have started more impressively. If the team acts against Austria in Cologne (April 14) and Ried (April 18) as consistently and variably as against Norway, direct qualification will be secured early. Interim lapses on Saturday evening were inconsequential, because goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was once again in top form, even though her NWSL season with Gotham FC as U.S. champions begins only next weekend.
“We have to thank Anne for keeping us to zero,” Wück noted, because the lead goal by the extremely enterprising Elisa Senß (18) initially conveyed a deceptively secure feeling. “We kept a clean sheet; it should always feel good,” Berger said later. Their front players had shown that “we can also play really good football against bigger teams. We simply need to find the consistency to carry it through for 90 minutes.”
Ann-Katrin Berger, Germany’s national team goalkeeper
That the DFB women are now once again aiming for the world’s elite also has to do with Berger’s comment that “we were together for 13 days—that is a huge difference.” For the Bundesliga, the long absences in spring are naturally not very helpful, but the national team provides the opportunity to bring more substance to the advancing players. The substitute for the injured Klara Bühl, Vivien Endemann, knew again precisely what to do as an outside forward.
As in her gala against Slovenia (5:0), the 24-year-old from VfL Wolfsburg scored a goal and delivered two assists. Her through ball to Carlotta Wamser for the 2-0 (45+1) and her lob for the 3-0 (45+4) already took the edge off the opponents, who boasted stars like Ada Hegerberg, Hannah Graham and Signe Gaupset at halftime. That match-winning moment when Endemann also quickly executed the counter that set up Jule Brand for the 4-0 (58) became a symbol of German strength. Sports director Nia Künzer rightly noted: “We have addressed our deficit in efficiency and effectiveness.” And Wück is right to have relied on the towering discipline of the team rather than on the league’s top scorer, Vanessa Fudalla of Bayer Leverkusen, who stands just 1.55 meters tall.
After Larissa Mühlhaus of Werder Bremen, the national coach preferred giving Jella Veit from Eintracht Frankfurt her debut. “A dream has come true,” said the 20-year-old defender after her substitution. The national coach wants to broaden his pool with players whom he envisions achieving an international breakthrough. By now, the dozen debutants under the guidance of a talent developer form a unit, who already has the 2029 home European Championship in sight. Frank Hellmann
