The 2-0 victory in Tuesday’s big match means that Germany is on to the knockout rounds in the European Championships, while Spain must settle for a clean final against Denmark for the last quarter-final ticket.
Both teams have three points before they meet on Saturday. Norway or Austria will face the winner of Denmark against Spain in a quarterfinal.
The match between Spain and Germany was well played and intense, and the level of what was going on on the mat is a scare shot for Norway’s ambitions for a European Championship medal.
– Several levels across Norway
After the 0-8 loss against England, that ambition hangs in the balance, even though Norway can still grab a place in the quarter-finals if there is a victory against Austria on Friday.
– Spain and Germany seem to be several levels above Norway, they too. Tough championship, this. England, France, Germany and Spain look strong. Sweden and the Netherlands are not gone either, writes football expert Morten Langli on Twitter on Tuesday night.
This was the first time since March 2020, after 24 games in a row, that Spain went off the field with a loss.
– This German team here is a championship team to be reckoned with, this was the big test, says TV 2 commentator Endre Olav Osnes about Germany.
How far will Norway go in the European Championships?
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In Tuesday’s top match, it was Klara Bühl who scored the match’s first goal, and it came after just two minutes.
– A terrible choice
The high pressure Germany succeeded so well against Denmark also applied against Spain, and it ended with goalkeeper Sandra Paños playing the ball straight to Bühl in his own field. The striker thus got an easy job of hammering in 1-0.
– Typically Spain, they want to play out, but this is simply a terrible choice of Sandra Paños in goal, TV 2 expert Solveig Gulbrandsen stated after the score.
In the 37th minute, after a long period of Spanish dominance in the court game, Germany increased the lead to 2-0 on a corner kick.
Reveals background for ET celebration
Alexandra Popp, who has been over the last two championships with an injury, rose to the top and headed in 2-0 towards the end of the game.
Goal scorer Popp is Germany captain and has played 116 international matches. After the 2-0 goal, she celebrated by pointing to the sky with her right index finger and simulating a phone with her left hand.
According to Bild, this is a reference to Steven Spielberg’s cult film “ET”, and the famous quote “phone home” – or to call home. This has become a famous celebration for Popp since her family always calls when she scores.
Popp has previously stated to Bild that the celebration is a sign to her family and friends.
Red card?
After a short time, Germany shouted for a red card when Spain captain Irene Paredes tore down Popp on his way through alone with the goalkeeper. But neither the judge nor the VAR saw any reason to intervene, despite the fact that the TV pictures clearly showed that Popp was held tight in the jersey.
The match ended at 2-0, and group B in the European Championships ends with Spain – Denmark and Germany – Finland on Saturday. Both matches are played at 21 o’clock.
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