Football – German Football Association women also defeat Portugal’s pursuits – sport

FARO (Associated Press) – She came off an exhausting match in the Algarve, but she was so happy: German footballers took a giant step toward the 2023 World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand.

National coach Martina Voss Tecklenburg’s team won the World Cup qualifiers against Portugal on Tuesday night in Faro by 3:1 (3:1) and is now five points ahead of the toughest pursuers as the leaders of Group E.

In front of only 500 spectators in Estádio de São Luís, the guests met top scorer Lea Schuler of Bayern Munich (15th minute), Svenja Huth of Wolfsburg (23) and Chelsea professional Melanie Leopols (28).

Sixth win in the sixth game

“We went into the game well, scored three goals and then let the opposition come back into the game unnecessarily. We made life a bit difficult,” Leopolds midfielder said after her 75th cap. “We are happy with six wins in six World Cup matches and I think we can be very proud of that.”

The selection of the German Federation achieved the sixth victory in the sixth match on his way to the World Cup. The inferior Portuguese came from a penalty kick caused by goalkeeper Merle Froms to mean 1: 3 via Carol da Silva Costa (34).

The return leg will be against Portugal on April 9, and Serbia on April 12. Only the first in the group qualifies directly for the final tournament. The second play in the playoffs for two other places.

DFB Women’s Determination

After the recent 8-0 win over Turkey in Braunschweig, the 2003 and 2007 world champions faced even greater challenges this time around, but they played determinedly forward in the first half. For the first time after a long injury break, Bayern Munich defender Marina Hegering (31) was in the starting line-up. The DFB team quickly lost its respect in the early stages and after two missed chances by Clara Ball, Schuller scored her 23rd goal in the 34th international match.

When awarding a penalty, the average goalkeeper Frohms had bad luck: the ball hit the post first, and then from the back of Frankfurt into the net. After the break, the German national team struggled for a long time against a very aggressive opponent. Substitute Dzsenifer Marozan of the American club O L Reine tried to give the match more organization, but it remained confused. 19-year-old Julie Brand from Hoffenheim gave the 4:1 (76) position as Joker.

Endurance test in England in February

Where Voss-Tecklenburg stands at international level will be shown in England in February. In the Invitational Tournament, the competitors are the host team, Spain with players from the first division winners FC Barcelona and Olympic champions Canada. “This tournament is a good opportunity to put some real endurance tests at the start of the European Championship,” said the national coach.

In the preliminary round of the European Championships in England in July, the record European champions will also meet Spain, Denmark and Finland. The German national team missed the summer matches in Tokyo due to the quarter-final against Sweden in the 2019 World Cup in France.

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