Germany defeated Spain 2-0 on Tuesday to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the Euro 2022 tournament. Klara Buhl and Alexandra Popp secured the victory.
In their first game, Martina Voss-team Tecklenburg’s defeated Denmark 4-0, but they had to display their more tenacious side to defeat Spain.
At the Community Stadium in Brentford, despite having just two shots on goal and only 30% of the possession, Germany’s opportunistic finishing was the deciding factor.
With her goal in the third minute, Buhl got Germany off to the best possible start. Eight minutes before halftime, Popp doubled the lead.
After two victories in a row, Germany leads Group B with all possible points, followed by Spain in second place with three points.
Voss-Tecklenburg stated, “We started by pressing very high, which immediately brought us a goal at a very important moment in the match.
“We assembled a resilient team that was prepared to endure hardship. We wanted to maximise transitions despite the fact that we knew we wouldn’t have possession, and it’s fantastic that the tactic worked so well.”
Germany, who won Group B, will face either Austria or Norway, the Group A runners-up, in the round of eight.
After two victories in a row, Germany leads Group B with all possible points, followed by Spain in second place with three points.
Voss-Tecklenburg stated, “We started by pressing very high, which immediately brought us a goal at a very important moment in the match.
“We assembled a resilient team that was prepared to endure hardship. We wanted to maximise transitions despite the fact that we knew we wouldn’t have possession, and it’s fantastic that the tactic worked so well.”
Germany, who won Group B, will face either Austria or Norway, the Group A runners-up, in the round of eight.
When Lucia Garcia was played clear of a high German backline, Spain was suddenly given a wonderful opportunity to score on their own.
The Athletic Bilbao forward sprinted into the penalty area, took the ball away from Merle Frohms, but her angled shot went into the side netting.
The pursuit of an equaliser by Spain continued as Mariona Caldentey missed the target with a dipping shot from the edge of the box.
Yet seven minutes before halftime, Germany was once more on target.
Upon receiving a corner kick into the six-yard box, captain Alexandra Popp rose to flick a backward header in with the help of a slight deflection.
Aitana Bonmati’s chipped effort that missed the target just before halftime as Spain attempted to regroup.
Soon after the break, Wolfsburg forward Popp nearly gave Germany a third goal when she missed a corner header at the back post.
As the hour mark drew near, Popp once more took centre stage, falling to the ground after what appeared to be a tug on her shirt from Spain captain Paredes as she attempted to run clear on goal.
Play was allowed to continue by French referee Stephanie Frappart, and VAR did not change the outcome.
When a deep ball was floated into the penalty area with 18 minutes remaining, Caldentey sent a brilliant volley goalward almost gave Spain a chance to score.
