Germany's soccer superstar Horst Hrubesch, now serving as the interim coach of the DFB women's team, grimaced after settling for a 0-0 draw against Wales in the Olympic qualifiers. The German squad needed only a draw to seal their spot in the final round, thanks to Denmark's humbling loss to Iceland, which hurt the Scandinavians' chances of qualifying.
Despite the less-than-impressive performance, Hrubesch remained optimistic, looking ahead to Monday's draw and the prospect of meeting France in the Nations League. "I'd be delighted if we got France. If they reach the final, even third place could secure one of the two open Olympic tickets for us. France, Spain, and the Netherlands are also competing, being hosts and world champions," explained the 72-year-old coach, grumbling only momentarily about their subpar display against Wales, which fell far below their usual mark.
Despite the underwhelming outing, Hrubesch praised Iceland and their unexpected victory over Denmark, which ensured the German squad's qualification. The Danes, almost tied on points with Germany, unexpectedly lost their final home game 0-1 to Iceland, marking an early finishing goal by Bayer Leverkusen's Karolina Vilhjalmsdottir in the 77th minute.
Emphasizing that their standing does not make them favorites after the World Cup fiasco and inconsistent performances, Hrubesch acknowledged the positive aspect of their continued involvement in the qualifiers, stating: "But the pleasant surprise is that we're still in the game. That was our ultimate goal." Kathrin Hendrich, the defender, echoed the sentiment, noting: "We're thrilled to have advanced, but we know that there's still work ahead."
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Insights:
- Germany's women's team has already secured their spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics due to France being the host nation. Qualifying for the Olympics typically involves multiple rounds of matches, but France automatcally qualified as hosts. Germany's placement in the Olympic qualifiers does not affect their Olympics berth as they are already guaranteed to participate in the Paris Games.
