Gwinn's heroic tackle plunges her into the valley of tears and changes everything in the stadium

The 36th minute of the game simply changed everything. Until then, Germany had been superior, confident, and dominant. The fans were loud, urging their team forward. Then Giulia Gwinn came on. Germany's captain made a save, lay down—and cried.

Seconds before Gwinn's save, Germany failed to clear a corner. The ball landed at the feet of Poland's captain and top scorer, Ewa Pajor. The FC Barcelona striker had a clear path, but then Gwinn flew in. With an incredible sliding tackle, she prevented the Polish player from shooting – and then lay there in pain.

The stadium is already holding its breath. But after a brief treatment, everything seems to be okay. Goalkeeper Ann-Kathrin Berger whispers something in her ear as Gwinn leaves the pitch next to the goal and walks to the halfway line with the two coaches. There, she returns to the field – and the German fans cheer.

But less than a minute later, Gwinn is back on the ground, putting her hands over her face – and the stadium falls silent again. When Gwinn is down, something serious has happened. Her knee, again. Germany's captain has already torn her cruciate ligament twice, once on the right and once on the left. It's the captain's proverbial Achilles heel – and she's still only 25 years old.

When Gwinn gets back to her feet, Lea Schüller hugs her. The stadium is still filled with paralyzing shock. No one wants to believe that Germany's captain really has to leave.

Only when she hands the armband to Schüller does it become irrevocable. Gwinn leaves the pitch after 40 minutes. And then the stadium wakes up and claps for Gwinn. And she has tears in her eyes. Because of the injury, her pain—but certainly also because the German fans are suffering with her.