First an emotional farewell, then the painful setback: 100 days before the start of the World Cup title mission Down Under, the German soccer players had to put up with a real mood dampener. In the 112th and last international match of noble technician Dzsenifer Marozsan, the team of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg lost 1:2 (0:2) to Brazil and, despite the support of 32,587 fans in Nuremberg, disappointed over long stretches.
Four days after the flattering success (1-0) in the Netherlands, Tamires Britto (11th) and Ariadina Borges (38th) punished the DFB team, which suffered their first home defeat since October 2017 in the important endurance test against the Selecao. The hit by substitute Jule Brand (90 + 2) did not change that. On the way to the hunt for the World Championship title in Australia and New Zealand (July 20th to August 20th), the runners-up European champions have to improve significantly.
Maroszan came on as a second-half substitute
The focus was initially on Marozsan: the DFB honored the 2013 European champion and 2016 Olympic champion before kick-off to great applause from the fans. From the 64th minute, the 30-year-old, long Germany’s best soccer player, was allowed to play one last time in the DFB jersey at the end of her brilliant career in the national team, which was also marked by health problems.
Compared to the game in Sittard, the national coach made six changes to her starting XI – and thus refrained from experimenting with personnel. In addition to captain Alexandra Popp, Kathrin Hendrich, Lina Magull, Klara Bühl and Lea Schüller also joined the team, Ann-Katrin Berger replaced the injured Merle Frohms (back) in goal.
And yet the DFB women got off to a similarly bumpy start as in the Netherlands. Without the six-time world footballer Marta, Brazil punished Popp and Co. for the poor initial phase with numerous mistakes. Tamires dusted off after the somewhat hesitant Berger was initially still on the spot against Gabi Nunes. Sara Doorsoun had previously misjudged.
Leupolz celebrates comeback after maternity leave
The German team found hardly any solutions against the poisonous South American champions. It wasn’t until the 23rd minute that Popp caused danger with a free kick for the first time. After the wake-up call, the DFB-Elf looked for their way forward with a little more vigour. However, Brazil struck again: A cross from Ariadina sailed past everyone into the far corner.
Popp stayed in the dressing room, and without the captain, Voss-Tecklenburg’s team couldn’t come up with much more offensively. The Brazilians, who lost the Finalissima against European champions England on Thursday, acted as a matter of routine and were technically and physically superior to the DFB team. After all, “mask woman” Melanie Leupolz celebrated her comeback after a baby break despite a broken nose in the second round, and Marozsan came on the field for the last half hour.
With the substitution of the exceptional player from Olympique Lyon, the German team started the final offensive. Marozsan tried everything again, but she didn’t set any decisive accents. Sydney Lohmann narrowly missed (84′), Brand scored too late.
