"In a magical way": Wamser impresses her colleagues
It hadn't been predicted that Carlotta Wamser would play more than a half in her first European Championship match. Laura Freigang, in particular, was enthusiastic about the 21-year-old.
Carlotta Wamser was indirectly involved in both of Germany's goals against Poland. IMAGO/Jan Huebner
Paul Bartmuß reports from St. Gallen
"I have no idea how many international matches this was for her: Three? Four?" asked Laura Freigang . "You have to do that first—and then add an assist."
Three was the correct answer. Carlotta Wamser had only made her debut for the senior national team at the end of May, and had played a total of 55 minutes before the European Championship. Then came this Friday. Germany's opening match against Poland. And Giulia Gwinn 's fatal save against Ewa Pajor towards the end of the first half.
National coach Christian Wück immediately sent Wamser and Sophia Kleinherne to warm up. Gwinn tried again briefly, but gave up in tears and left the pitch with support. Of the two options for right defense, Wück opted for the more offensive, bolder—and riskier—option.
"Those who wondered" why Wamser made the European Championship squad "saw why today," explained Wück, who described himself as "100 percent satisfied" with the 21-year-old. "She confirms to me and the coaching team that selecting her was definitely the right choice." Sporting director Nia Künzer even expressed her "very enthusiasm" for Wamser's development in recent months.
On her side, the former Frankfurt player and soon-to-be Leverkusen player diligently fueled the German attacks, never neglecting the space behind her. Her opponents Natalia Padilla-Bidas and Kayla Adamek barely had a chance.
"Carlotta did a fascinating job for her first European Championship match," said goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger . "She was simply thrown into the ice-cold water." Vice-captain Janina Minge emphasized that her substitute didn't show any signs of nervousness: "She had to go from zero to 100, without much of a warm-up."
Carlotta is just such an incredible bundle of energy on the pitch.
Laura Freigang about Carlotta Wamser
Wamser was also indirectly involved in both goals. Before the 1-0, she offered herself as an ideal wide pass to Jule Brand , thus helping to prevent the Polish team from attacking the goalscorer sufficiently. And for the 2-0, Wamser dribbled in front of the byline and played the second-to-last pass before the goal.
"Carlotta is simply such an incredible bundle of energy on the pitch," said Laura Freigang, describing her longtime club colleague: "She hasn't played the full-back position for very long, but somehow this position magically combines all her strengths. She's a force up front, but she also wins one-on-one duels at the back, and she's incredibly fast."
And because Wamser played as a striker for a long time, she also has a good eye for staging attacks. In fact, the Herford native was first converted to full-back at the end of 2024 , when she was playing for the U-23 national team. The experiment quickly proved successful, including at Eintracht Frankfurt, where she replaced Pia-Sophie Wolter . It's quite possible that Wamser will take the next step at this European Championship, given Gwinn's injury.
