The DFB selection stays on track for the European Championship – thanks to “German virtues,” as the coach praises

An unwritten rule states that the German women's national team almost never loses a European Championship group match. Even though they have to wait patiently and seem to be running into a bulwark, this rule holds true in their second match of Euro 2025.

Over 15,000 fans came to Basel from Germany, and the scale of the once again peaceful fan march was once again impressive. When it was all over, Peter Schilling's song "Major Tom" played over the loudspeakers. "Völlig losgelöst" echoed through St. Jakob-Park, but it didn't really fit the music.

The Germans are breaking free, but the Danes aren't allowing them to fly freely. They defend too stubbornly, sometimes with a back five that seems almost impossible to break. This is surprising, because they only seem to be confident in their ability to score with pinpricks and counterattacks. After all, they are ranked 12th in the world. They defend, speculate, wait for their opponents to make mistakes, and then try to unleash 32-year-old Pernille Harder (163 international caps, 78 goals).

The Danes initially implemented their plan without further ado. However, it wasn't Harder, who usually plays for Bayern Munich, who found the gap, but rather Amalie Vangsgaard, the striker for Juventus Turin. Her goal to make it 1-0 was a spectacular sight and put the favored Germans under additional pressure. They came close to equalizing twice in the first half, but the video referee twice overruled the shot.

In general, the match unfolded in a way that called for several video referees. First, Germany had a goal disallowed for offside; a little later, the referee revoked a penalty call for handball because the action, which was deemed to have been handled, had taken place outside the penalty area. The turning point for Germany came only after the break, when the video referee correctly identified a foul on Linda Dallmann in the penalty area. Sjoeke Nüsken converted the penalty to make it 1-1.

A little later, Lea Schüller (76 international caps, 53 goals) made it 2-1 after Emma Snerle was hit in the face by a teammate's pass from close range and collapsed. The game should have been suspended after such an obvious knockout, but the referee, much to Denmark's dismay, didn't.

After their opening 2-0 win against Poland, the German national team doubled their lead against Denmark, staying on course after captain Giulia Gwinn's injury. Janina Minge replaces Gwinn as captain, while Nüsken takes over as an accurate penalty taker. And on the right side of defense, where Gwinn would have played, her 21-year-old replacement, Carlotta Wamser, surprised with her defiance in her fourth international match.

German coach Christian Wück, who has coached youth teams for many years, emphasized German virtues after the match, "the victory of mentality." Fighting spirit and the will to win are what distinguish German teams, "regardless of whether it's the men's or women's team, whether it's the youth or the senior team."

European Championship finalist in 2022, World Cup disappointment in 2023 and bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games. There is little indication at the moment that Germany will soon be in trouble at Euro 2025.