Anyomi's goal brings about a turnaround: "That's something we do far too rarely"

Turned in and shot: Nicole Anyomi scores to make it 1-1. IMAGO/Jan Huebner

The match in Caen could hardly have started worse from a German perspective: In just the third minute, Melvine Malard nodded in a cross from Selma Bacha to give them a 1-0 lead, equalizing the first-leg score . The French, who started with a strong performance, seemed intent on overpowering Christian Wück 's team.

But Les Bleues hadn't reckoned with Nicole Anyomi , who brilliantly capitalized on Germany's first opportunity to equalize after just over ten minutes. After a quick turn around opponent Maelle Lakrar, she fired a powerful left-footed shot that landed squarely in the top corner.

"I was a bit lucky that it went right into the corner," the goalscorer told the ZDF microphone after the final whistle, but also revealed that she had planned the process: "I simply decided that when I was in the box, I would turn up the heat and just shoot. We don't do that often enough, and that's what I did."

In a "very intense game," the goal had a decisive signaling effect, underscoring the trend of the previous minutes that the German women had shaken off their early shock and were settling into the game. An impression shared by the Frankfurt player: "We made some good pinpricks going forward. If we play the counterattacks well one or two times, we can score another goal or two in the first half."

While it's true that the Equipe Tricolore clearly had the advantage in terms of chances in the first 45 minutes, the team also rose to the occasion. "We played a good game, fought until the last minute, and gave it our all," summarized Anyomi, whose second goal of the evening was ruled out for offside by the assist provider and second German goalscorer Klara Bühl .

The team will need to perform similarly in the two finals against Spain on November 28 and December 2 if they want to pull off another coup – and avenge their semi-final defeat at the European Championships this summer. Germany suffered a 1-0 defeat late in extra time . However, they will be without Anyomi and her goalscoring prowess, which they will be looking to demonstrate again against La Roja.