With knees, head and nose – a sport

On Tuesday, when the international match against Norway was over for a long time, Laura Frelang had a good sense of when to stand up. Wait free time next to an advertising stand, in front of him Alexandra Pope was giving an interview. Both wore thick black jackets and the wind was blowing hard. As the German soccer captain spoke in front of this huge advertising wall and then waited for the next question, Bob slammed the cardboard on the back of his head. She extended her arms and laughed: Nothing happened. Meanwhile, Freang quickly jumped to the rescue, grabbed the wall and blocked another impact.

The timing of the release was crucial, especially before the 3-1 victory. This match hadn’t started yet, as Martina Voss Tecklenburg had imagined. The Norwegians were already ahead in the fourth minute thanks to Guru’s ride. Long pass, smart pass, steady finish – and the Germans were already under pressure. The team in the last few days in Wiesbaden has been especially noticeable because newcomers and younger, less experienced players have been successfully integrated – who can now demonstrate how to handle the deficit. It worked, thanks in part to being outdoors.

The 23-year-old is increasingly ahead in the number of powerful attacking players

After a corner kick, she was completely in the right place in front of the goal area to hit a rebound from the corner with her left to equalize the net (the eighth minute). Frelang also scored against Australia. The 1-1 draw was their seventh goal in their sixth international match. For their club, Eintracht Frankfurt, the score is 38 goals in 58 Bundesliga matches, and this season there are 12 goals after 16 games. She is currently the second highest goalscorer in this round. In the national team, the 23-year-old is more and more ahead in a number of powerful attacking players, even if, as she once said, she still sees herself as a player knocking on the door.

“I have to stay on the ground. If you look at my targets, there is nothing from a distance of more than two and a half meters,” a resident of Kiel humbly said Tuesday. “I just have to push them inward. In that regard, most of the work takes place outside.” Here too, I helped a lot when I passed the ball back to Tapia and I was named at the right moment with just the right pace with a heel, who was then able to provide a 2-1 form by Linda Dalman (17).

“It’s always dangerous,” says national coach Voss-Tecklenburg.

In March 2020, Frelang made her debut in the national team, scoring her first goal on her second appearance – in her third international match, she drew attention with a hat-trick. “She has a good nose,” said Voss Tecklenburg. “She’s stubborn, she has cheek and looseness and never lets herself go crazy. She’s always dangerous, especially in tight spaces. When she needs someone outside the goal to spread your foot, knee, head or whatever else he’s here.” Collective, Frelang could still evolve – but she was also someone who totally wanted it, self-critical and never satisfied herself. “An incredibly good man, a little different from the others.”

Freelang – who played football at Pennsylvania State University at the age of 18 before moving to Frankfurt for the 2018/2019 season – is now known for her reflexology. She has been critical of homophobia and sexism in football. The development of women’s football is important to her, as well as one that requires respect and support for herself and her colleagues. Frelang sees herself as an athlete with an attitude.

The mathematical sciences student said, “I am naturally a person who loves to bring up issues, and I think that is important as well.” “If I had a platform, I would love to use it and will continue to do so to pass on topics that interest me and defend certain values.” The fact that she has so many qualities, not just in front of goal, is what Laura Freelang referred to in football. But on the road to the European Championship in 2022 and generally towards a successful future, that will also depend on their off-pitch qualities for the national team.