BERN :Germany’s group stage at the Women’s Euro may not have gone to plan but the eight-time winners have put all the setbacks behind them as they get ready to face France in the quarter-finals, coach Christian Wueck said on Friday.
Germany were thrashed 4-1 by Sweden and had defender Carlotta Wamser sent off in their final Group C game in a sub-par performance that saw them finish second in the standings.
That set up a blockbuster clash between Germany and France, who Wueck considers as favourites for Saturday’s showdown in Basel.
“If you look at the raw numbers, the French won nine points in the group stage, we won six, that’s why I think the French are the favourites,” Wueck told reporters.
The Germans have had five days to get over the unexpected defeat by the Swedes, who are heading home before the Germans after losing their quarter-final 3-2 on penalties to England on Thursday.
“It’s incredibly important that the disappointment from that (group) game against Sweden is now gone,” Wueck said.
“I think we’ve managed to ensure that we’re not just looking forward to this quarter-final, but that we’re approaching this knockout phase in such a way that it’s now really clear to us that the performance on the pitch will decide whether we stay in the tournament or not.”
Wueck said he expected his players to give a much better account of themselves when they meet France at the St Jakob-Park Stadium to decide who will take the last spot in the semi-finals.
“I know that the euphoria and the will to go into this game is definitely there now. That’s why it was good … that we had so much time to process the match against Sweden,” Wueck said.
