Gaining momentum
June 16, 2011
The German women's national soccer team beat Norway 3-0 on Thursday night in their last friendly match before hosting the World Cup in ten days.
Most of the game was less than noteworthy, with rainy weather and a 0-0 score dampening the spirits of the 13,800 fans who turned out to watch in the Bruchwegstadion in Mainz. Despite a few scenes early on that may have betrayed some nerves on the German side, the home team managed to clear everything that got near the goal.
Germany's offensive breakthrough came in the 79th minute, when Simone Laudehr headed a corner kick flawlessly into the net. The goal gave the Germans the confidence they needed to seal the deal, with Alexandra Popp scoring two successive goals in the 81st and 82nd minutes.
Adding to Germany's momentum heading into the World Cup was the sight of Birgit Pritz on the pitch, who was injured in practice recently but appeared to be in fine form against the Norwegians.
"I was quite relaxed, because I saw that the players did a lot of things right," said national coach Silvia Neid after the game.
The win is Germany's fourth in as many preparation games for the World Cup, which kicks off on June 26. Norway provided a much more formidable opponent than Germany's last friendly match challengers, Italy and the Netherlands. Germany won both those games 5-0.
"[This game] wasn't as easy as the earlier tests," said Popp. "But we're on the right track, now things can really get going."
Germany is one of the favorites in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, grouped with Canada, Nigeria and France in the first round of matches.
Authors: Andrew Bowen, Matt Zuvela (SID, dpa)
Editor: Mark Hallam