Deutsche Welle (English edition)
Germany women fall to loss in France friendly
A stunning first half strike from Kenza Dali condemned Germany to a second recent defeat to a major European rival. While the match was only a friendly, it offers coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg food for thought.
France 1 - 0 Germany, Stade delaMeinau (Dali 30')
Another year to prepare for the Euros may be gratefully received by Germany after all, after they fell to defeat at the hands of one of their major European rivals for the second time in four games.
Recent wins against Australia and Norway will not have erased the memory of defeat to the Netherlands earlier this year and another loss, albeit to a sensational strike, leaves Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg much to ponder.
"Nobody disappointed," she said of her players after the game. "Everyone tried to contribute fully. Still, we have to get better, and we'll continue to work on that. These are all learning processes."
Voss- Tecklenburg shuffled her pack a little without appearing to weaken her side too significantly, relying on a core of players from title winners Bayern Munich.
Profligate and punished
After a cagey opening, an incisive pass from Linda Dallman gave Svenja Huth a golden opportunity to break the deadlock on 20 minutes but the experienced striker failed to get any power on her strike as she tumbled under minimal pressure.
The home side were finally stung in to action and took the lead 10 minutes later through Kenza Dali. The West Ham United midfielder appeared to pose little threat 25 yards out and running horizontally and away from the German goal. But she dug out a powerful drive that dipped over Merle Frohms.
The goalscorer seemed to pull something around the midriff in the act of scoring and was replaced soon after. Pain almost followed for Germany too when Dallmann dwelt on the ball in her own half, allowing Grace Geyoro a free run on goal, only for Frohms to win the one-on-one battle.
Geyoro gave Germany another scare early in the second half before France's Bayern star, Viviane Asseyi, and her German clubmate Klara Bühl exchanged scorching solo runs that fizzled out at the finish.
Time to improve
Despite the class of the French side, Voss-Tecklenburg continued to chance her arm, giving another half an hour to Hoffenheim 18-year-old Jule Brand, who made such an impact against Australia in her debut in April. The teenager almost made a similarly striking introduction on Thursday, but couldn't keep a header down with her first touch.
In truth, the visitors failed to create any genuine opportunities in the second half and failed to score in a match for the first time since 2018. But, unlike her male counterpart Joachim Löw, who faces the same opposition in the men's Euros on Tuesday, Voss Tecklenburg has time on her side.
"Overall, we saw a lot of sequences from which we can take quite a lot," she said. "We can gain a lot from this for the next tasks."
the lounge area, make a difference to the development of a team. The creation of a market place style area at the heart of the site is a smart move.
From above, the three bungalows and 15 apartments look like scattered ice cubes connected by Christmas lights. The players are split up into groups of four, with experienced heads mixed with young stars. Toni Kroos is sharing with Mathias Ginter as well as new faces Florian Neuhaus and Christian Günter, while captain Manuel Neuer is in with Jamal Musiala, Jonas Hofmann and Lukas Klostermann.
Adidas has already stated it intends to use the freshly built facilities after the tournament for employees and external guests.
The rest of the camp includes all the facilities that are now commonplace for major international teams at big tournaments. There's a pool and even a paddle tennis court, which came at the behest of captain Manuel Neuer. Video games may get played, but it seems cards and other games have taken over. Kevin Volland's backgammon board has apparently been a welcome addition to the entertainment options.
The training area is on the same "World of Sports" complex, which again is full of the usual facilities and luxuries afforded to the best footballers in the country ahead of a major tournament. Training will take place at the Adi-Dassler stadium.
Base camps don't win tournaments, but the wrong one can certainly contribute to an unsuccessful month, as Germany's time in isolated Vatutinki, Russia, proved in 2018. Bierhoff and co. will hope they can enjoy this base camp a little longer than the last one.