DFB Women in the Nations League: A Klara Bühl moment brings the final

The game was essentially already over, and it was precisely this feeling that proved to be the German national team's downfall. With the score at 2-1 in the second half, they were the ones who came close to scoring in the Nations League semi-final second leg. It was offside and the crossbar, but somehow it wasn't so bad, as they were ultimately leading, even by two goals on aggregate. But the lapse of concentration that then took control for a moment was dangerous. The speedy Kadidiatou Diani got past Giulia Gwinn and was able to cross the ball over the defense. And lurking at the back on the other side of the back line was Clara Mateo, who, completely unmarked, was able to nod in to make it 2-2.

Seven minutes of stoppage time followed. Seven long minutes of adrenaline, fueled by the French attacks. But they were unable to score the one goal that would have sent them to extra time, and the score remained 2-2 – which, after the 1-0 win in the first leg, means they advance to the final against defending champions and world champions Spain on November 28 in Kaiserslautern and on December 2 in Madrid. "We could and should have finished more cleverly," said national coach Christian Wück on ZDF. "We scored two beautiful goals. But we need to be more composed in some situations. But huge respect to the team. The development they have made since October 2024 is what I was hoping for." His team is now playing for its first title since winning the gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games.

FC Bayern Munich has found a larger stadium for its women's team: SpVgg Unterhaching's stadium is available at a reasonable price – but negotiations are still ongoing.

Before the match began, Wück had expected a "stormy" opponent, but also saw this as an opportunity: "We know that an angry team might make mistakes. And might also give up space, which we then want to exploit." The French women were indeed stormy and angry, but their space issue initially didn't work out so well. From the outset, the hosts underlined that they would play differently this evening than in the first leg, which the Germans had dominated. Melvine Malard had already come close to equalizing twice then, and now she took the lead. In the third minute, the French women surprised the Germans on the left wing, and after an outstanding cross from Salma Bacha to Malard, she headed the ball home from close range.

The goal unsettled Wück's players, and the French continued to apply pressure. Things went on like this for the first ten minutes until Nicole Anyomi broke free. Jule Brand was able to run towards the penalty area with the ball surprisingly unchallenged and found the Eintracht Frankfurt striker there. Anyomi spun cleverly before placing a shot with her left foot into the top left corner in the twelfth minute. Instead of lavishly celebrating the equalizer – and thus the lead after the first leg – captain Giulia Gwinn immediately made a statement, because it was clear that this would be a different challenge than the first reunion after the quarter-finals of the European Championship .

In the first leg in Düsseldorf last Friday, as at the European Championships in Switzerland, efficiency was the big problem for the German women's team. There were plenty of chances; Klara Bühl and Sjoeke Nüsken alone needed two hands to count them. The fact that Bühl only converted one of them was due to a lack of precision and determination, as she preferred to cross the ball rather than finish. At least the flow of the game was better than in the summer and suited the national coach's attacking, possession-based football philosophy. And so Wück largely kept his lineup the same, with Brand as the newly discovered number 10. Only at right center back did he substitute Janina Minge for Kathrin Hendrich, who was previously suspended.

That they now had to make even more decisive use of their chances became clear immediately after the 1-1 draw. The French women had to give it their all after the first-leg defeat, and they did so with and without the ball, with pace and good combinations. After a through ball, Sakina Karchaoui practically charged towards the lead, but was blocked by goalkeeper Stina Johannes. And then the German goal was shot on so frequently that Wück was furious on the touchline. Johannes reacted quickly to parry a shot from Malard (32nd minute), her next attempt narrowly missed the target (35th minute), and Delphine Cascarino was flagged for offside (38th minute). Her changed performance was also reflected in her: Cascarino caused left-back Franziska Kett significantly more problems this time, and in the 43rd minute, the 21-year-old was too easily outplayed by the French player, and Johannes again saved.

Just when it looked as if the crowd at Caen's Michel d'Ornano Stadium would soon jump to their feet in celebration, the break brought a turning point – and, just like in the first leg, a Klara Bühl moment. Élisa De Almeida tried hard to control the German winger, but she slipped briefly. This, in turn, gave Bühl the advantage. She delayed and then shot from a tight angle in her trademark style. Goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin threw up her arm, but no chance: The ball thundered against the underside of the crossbar and then over the line to make it 2-1 (50').

A good 20 minutes later, Bühl was again instrumental in a good move, again leaving De Almeida standing, but this time to pass to Anyomi at exactly the right moment. And just like with her first goal, Anyomi handled the ball subtly: first, she outwitted Griedge Mbock Bathy and then curled the ball into the right corner. Unfortunately, the Nations League also has a video assistant referee, and the referee reported that Bühl had been marginally offside. Substitute Selina Cerci (hit the crossbar) and Nüsken (went wide of the right) on the rebound came damn close to making it 3-1 in the 74th minute. Then France came back ice-cold. But that goal was no longer what mattered that evening.