Germany confident ahead of crucial encounter with South Korea

 

BRISBANE – Germany remains confident ahead of their crucial women’s World Cup group match against South Korea on Thursday as Felicitas Rauch returned to light training and fellow-defender Sara Doorsoun may also play again should the team advance.

“She is on a good path,” a team spokeswoman said of Rauch on Tuesday at the team’s base camp in Wyong.

Rauch may return if Germany reach the knock-out stages, and a spokeswoman said that there is “cautious optimism” that Doorsoun could then return. Rauch bruised her knee in training and missed Sunday’s surprise 2-1 defeat against Colombia where Doorsoun suffered a muscular lesion.

But the team definitely has key defender Marina Hegering and Sydney Lohmann fit again. The Colombia defeat complicates their planned passage into the knock-out rounds.

Germany are second, three points behind Colombia who play Morocco in their final game. Morocco are tied on points with Germany who however have a vastly superior goal difference thanks to an opening 6-0 over the North Africans.

Midfielder Melanie Leupolz said the team has overcome the Colombia defeat and is approaching the “difficult” game in Brisbane against South Korea, who have lost their first two games, with confidence.

“As of now, the mood in the team is still good. We have moved on from the game and know that some things weren’t good, but some things weren’t so bad at all,” Leupolz said.

“We’re going into the next game in a positive mood. The pressure is there, we have to attribute it to ourselves.”

Full-back Chantal Hagel added: “We’re just trying to convert the pressure into energy so that we can get into our game well.”

Leupolz added that competition has become tougher at big tournaments which means that titles are longer a foregone conclusion, after World Cup wins 2003 and 2007, and eight Euro titles between 1989 and 2013.

“Women’s football has developed over the years. In the past it seemed to be just Germany. We won one Euro title after another and nowadays it is simply not that easy anymore,” Leupolz said.

“That makes it more interesting as well. But of course we are hoping for the next title for Germany.”