I don’t know what I should actually say,” she said, placing her hands on her head and puffing out her cheeks in shock. To be honest, I don’t fully understand what happened. Yes, I have no idea.It’s a sensation that Germany is unfamiliar with.
They have won the group stage in eight of the nine Women’s World Cups in which they have participated. They are two-time world champions.
Few people would have guessed that the second-ranked team in the world and Euro 2022 finalists wouldn’t advance from a group that included Colombia, Morocco, and South Korea.
Karen Bardsley, a former Lionesses goalkeeper, added: “This may be unparalleled in scope. Everything about this tournament has been wild and upside down.
It is always shocking when Germany fails to go past the group stage of a major competition, but it is unfathomable for both their men’s and women’s teams to do so within a nine-month period.
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, the head coach of Germany, said: “If you want to see a disaster in terms of sport, it’s hard to argue against that.”
“We must persevere and rise up once more. We adore this activity. Naturally, you cannot anticipate a thorough examination just yet. We must give it time to sink in. I don’t want to search for justifications in anything.
After South American heavyweights Brazil and Olympic winners Canada failed to go past the group rounds, Germany became the third team ranked inside the top 10 to do so.
All indications were that they would advance in the tournament after their 6-0 hammering of Morocco to start things off, but the 2-1 loss to Colombia raised some red flags.
In response to concerns that Germany’s confidence had been shaken, Voss-Tecklenburg had said, “I didn’t need to be the clown for them, to try and cheer them up.
For Germany, however, a poor start versus South Korea—which Cho So-hyun took advantage of by scoring within of six minutes—and missed opportunities from Popp, Klara Buhl, and Sydney Lohmann proved costly.
There were a few dubious absences from tonight’s starting XI, but in the end, Bardsley noted, it all came down to clinical finishing.Germany was careless with the ball in their hands; they frequently passed it to Popp or the back post. There wasn’t much of a plan B; that was just plan A.
In their desperate pursuit for the victory they knew they needed to match Morocco’s result against Colombia, which ended 1-0 in the other game in Group H, Voss-Tecklenburg claimed they appeared “nervous” and tried to “force things”
“Ultimately, the result is important. Voss-Tecklenburg declared, “We didn’t score enough and we didn’t get enough points.
We did not anticipate this. I believe it was evident that we were anxious before the game even began. South Korea took the lead as a result.
“Perhaps we were attempting to force things, but the impression was more that something was missing. Despite the best of intentions, we lost our ease and confidence.
“We didn’t find our game as quickly as we had hoped. We made a lot of attempts, but we were unable to succeed. For this, we are in charge and accountable.
Just 24 hours after Brazilian legend Marta played her final match in her sixth Women’s World Cup, Germany’s exit sees another of the competition’s biggest players go.
The Wolfsburg striker Popp, 32, has scored in eight straight games for Germany at major championships and has more than 100 caps overall since making her debut 13 years ago. She delivered once more in Australia and New Zealand with four goals in three group games, including the equalizer against South Korea.
“A football squad this excellent shouldn’t rely solely on Alexandra Popp. Nearly everything now has to pass via her. Only she has the power to change things, which is a weakness.
Germany entered halftime in second place in the group thanks to her header, but they were unaware that Morocco had taken the lead against Colombia shortly before the interval, moving ahead of Germany in the standings.
“We were unaware of that at halftime. We were told that we had to score quickly in the second half,” remarked Popp.
“After that,” the player said, “I think we showed a strong desire and grit to go for a goal but somehow it just didn’t want to go in.”
Popp’s goals typically help Germany advance far in the competition, but when asked about the team’s future course, she was unable to provide any consolation for the fans.
As for Martina [Voss-Tecklenburg], “I can say that she did have to face a lot of emotions,” Popp added. “I believe we will need to regain our composure.
“We must investigate what took place. Little was said [in the changing room]. Now that the incident has occurred, we need some time to analyze it and regain our confidence.
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