“Bitterly bought”: Germany wins against Poland – and loses Giulia Gwinn to injury

How expensive can a victory in the opening match of a European Championship be? This is a question many fans of the German women's national team will have been asking on Friday evening. In the 40th minute , Giulia Gwinn, the full-back for FC Bayern Munich , was forced to leave the pitch. She was in tears, supported, after injuring her knee. This was no ordinary incident, as Gwinn, the team's captain, has a long history of injuries. She has torn her cruciate ligament twice, and twice she has come back in impressive fashion.

The German team spoke of a moment of shock. Christian Wück, the team's coach, called the 2-0 victory a "hard-won victory." A diagnosis could no longer be made that evening. An MRI scan later on Saturday should determine whether Gwinn would be able to return to the team soon. Immediately after the final whistle, she told ARD, the team went to the locker room, hugged her, and wished her luck for the upcoming examination.

When Giulia Gwinn left the pitch in Paris, the score was still 0-0. With her final action in a challenge against center forward Ewa Pajor, she almost certainly prevented a goal, said Christian Wück. This detail alone shows: The Poles were an extremely unpleasant opponent in their opening match for the Germans—the team that believes itself ready for the title.

It was repeatedly stated that the team was excellently staffed across the board. The players were confident in their own quality. However, for one half, this claim was not evident, although that doesn't necessarily mean anything. After all, there are many opening games in which eventual tournament winners have a difficult time. Especially since the second half featured a considerably better German team.

Klara Bühl shone on the left wing, but Jule Brand emerged as the decisive player. She scored the 1-0 goal with a masterful curler from the edge of the penalty area using her weaker left foot – and it was she who also delivered a precise cross to center forward Lea Schüller for the 2-0 lead. Two exquisite moments, but Brand was extremely critical of herself after the game. She said she achieved virtually nothing in the first half; she only had those two chances.

Christian Wück will certainly appreciate such self-criticism. The national coach called patience the key to victory. Ultimately, he was satisfied with the result, although the team was capable of playing much better. Wück credited the defensive stability, which was maintained despite the loss of right-back Gwinn after Carlotta Wamser was substituted, as a particular success.

This is precisely what has characterized the German team in recent months: Wück calculated that the team has conceded 0.67 goals per game, nothing more. The coach wants to target this figure. And if it can be maintained or even beaten, the team could even end up European champions. The opening game certainly didn't speak against the Germans. Rather, the way they coped with the loss of a leading figure like Gwinn was impressive.