DFB women lose to Sweden at European Championship: Defeat that hurts in many ways

In football, there are often only moments between joy and sorrow. In the case of the German women's soccer team, it took just over 25 minutes before the red card was shown in the group final of the European Championship against Sweden. This time elapsed on Saturday at Zurich's Letzigrund Stadium between the 1-0 lead and the sending-off, followed by a penalty goal that made Sweden 3-1 down.

With Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil in the stands and injured captain Giulia Gwinn (wearing a brace on her injured left knee) on the bench, the German women's team squandered a lead and thus the group victory. After Jule Brand opened the scoring in the 7th minute, Stina Blackstenius (12th), Smilla Holmberg (25th), Fridolina Rolfö (34th) from the penalty spot, and Lina Hurtig (80th) scored.

The consequences for the rest of the tournament are complex – and go far beyond simple rankings. Their next opponent will most likely be France, if all goes as expected. Their next opponent is highly regarded, although a clash with defending champions England in the quarterfinals, and thus a repeat of the 2022 final, would also be complicated.

One thing is certain: Germany will initially be without Carlotta Wamser. With her reflexive hand movement, Gwinn's substitute illegally prevented the Swedes from scoring, which Rolfö later converted from a penalty. Wamser was sent off, meaning national coach Christian Wück will miss at least the first knockout match. This means that, already reeled off by the captain's absence, her substitute, who played strongly in this match and previously, will also have to fill in herself.

The reasons and causes for Germany's first defeat of the tournament are equally painful. Being outnumbered for an hour made it difficult to assess the team's performance after the 36th minute; Wück substituted Sydney Lohmann and Kathrin Hendrich for Laura Freigang and Rebecca Knaak at halftime to create a more compact back three. A goal was still conceded, but at least with one player down, there were some impressive attacking efforts.

But the almost inexplicable period between taking the lead and falling behind was worrying, as the DFB team's weaknesses were mercilessly exposed. "We couldn't get back into the game; a quarter of an hour is simply not enough," Wück said at the post-match press conference.

The moment that decides the game: Carlotta Wamser goes for the ball with her hand and is sent off with a red card.

Source: Getty Images

The first top opponent at this European Championship – Sweden demonstrated why they are among the favorites in Switzerland – caused Wück's team massive problems. A lack of precision and tactical and individual deficiencies, despite the team leading, did the rest and caused the match to tip.

Every goal conceded was preceded by a mistake: At 1-1, Sarai Linder's inaccurate pass in the opponent's penalty area triggered a chain of errors, which ultimately resulted in Rebecca Knaak looking poorly positioned and Blackstenius slotting the ball past the motionless goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. "The first goal was easy to defend, but we made the poor decisions in midfield," said Wück.

Before the 1-2, Linder was careless in defense, Klara Bühl hesitant, before Linder's attempted clearance from Holmberg bounced over Berger. The national coach would have "liked to have had some luck on our side, but unfortunately we didn't." Wamser's quick touch in the empty net before the 1-3 was ultimately unavoidable, as Knaak slid past during the swift Swedish counterattack, leaving too much space in the middle for Rolfö, who was initially denied a goal.

For a brief moment, Germany, especially Wamser, had a glimmer of hope. The penalty was reviewed due to a possible offside position, but it stood. Wück's team was ultimately unable to prevent Hurtig's goal in the closing stages, making it 4-1 after Germany had been outnumbered for a long time.

After the defeat, Wück spoke clearly about the mood within the team, which was "down and out." Second place in the group means likely opponents France—and even if they advance, they'll face the previously brilliant top team Spain. Now it will be the toughest possible path to the title, which, after this painful setback, seems a distant prospect anyway.