Women's European Football Championship | Kreuzberg watches European Championship football

"I hope the rain doesn't spoil our plans," says public viewing host Louis Richter. It's 3:30 p.m., most of the tables and deck chairs are still empty, and the large LED screen is off. The gray sky on a Tuesday afternoon isn't exactly enticing passersby to make a spontaneous visit to the BRLO brewery beer garden in Berlin's Gleisdreieck park. At 6 p.m., the European Championship match between the German women's soccer team and their group opponents, Denmark , will be shown here. The weather forecast reassures "11 Freunde" editor Richter. "The first game was almost busier than last year's for the men," he says.

An hour later, more and more people are streaming into the beer garden. Host Richter is interviewing former professional soccer player Kathrin Längert on stage as part of the pre-public viewing program. "I think it's great that you can fill the entire beer garden with a women's soccer match," says the 38-year-old, who has played for FC Bayern Munich, among others. The place is filling up. ZDF is there, and a journalist from the French soccer magazine "So Foot" is also observing the activity. The 800 seats are almost all taken.

Football between beer and fries

The mood is good; beer, spritzers, and cola are on the tables, amidst bratwurst, potato salad, and fries. Many are looking forward to the match, which, with a win against Denmark, could put the German national team in the quarterfinals . "It's just like the men's European Championship: Once we win the first game, things really get going," says spectator Yvonne Fricke (46). "It's an absolute hype!"

The sun breaks through the clouds just in time for kickoff, illuminating the faces of the crowd and shining on those just entering the arena. The aroma of grilled ribs greets them at the entrance, and further inside, it is replaced by the faint scent of wood chips covering the floor. In the corridor between the entrance and the screen, spectators stand and watch the game. Further back, near the concession stand, the air smells of freshly tapped beer. There are no more empty seats.

Goal conceded dampens the mood

The spectators are predominantly women and young people, who are absolutely thrilled. And in the 18th minute, cheers erupt: "Yeeeees!" But the joy doesn't last long. The goal is disallowed after the video referee intervenes. Shortly afterward, German left-back Sarai Linder receives applause from the Berlin crowd; she has separated Danish star player Pernille Harder from the ball with a fair challenge. "Good interruption," someone shouts. But then a murmur goes through the garden, followed by absolute silence: Denmark has taken the lead (26').

The goal had an impact; the fans fell silent, and only a few 'ahs' and 'oohs' could be heard. A cloud moved in front of the sun, as if to underline the gloomy mood. In the 37th minute, a glimmer of hope emerged when referee Catarina Ferreira Campos awarded a penalty to Germany. However, the video assistant referee intervened again: Denmark's Frederikke Thögersen's handball occurred outside the penalty area.

DFB comeback makes fans cheer

It wasn't until halftime that the chatter and laughter resumed. The public viewing area has now filled up even more. About 30 young people are sitting on the wood shavings on the floor next to the first few rows of tables.

While the spectators in Berlin-Kreuzberg cheer themselves up with new drinks and paper-wrapped pickles, national coach Christian Wück seems to find the right words during the halftime break. The German national team demonstrates its comeback qualities in front of 16,000 German fans who fill almost half the stadium in Basel .

When a penalty was awarded to Germany in the 55th minute in Basel , many people in Berlin were still waiting in line for drinks. But that didn't stop anyone from wildly celebrating the equalizer by German midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken. Hardly a hand remained on their lap; every arm was raised in celebration, accompanied by the sustained cheers of the fans.

The atmosphere changes suddenly with the equalizer. Just ten minutes later, it transforms into pure joy: striker Lea Schüller gives the German women a 2-1 lead. In Kreuzberg, people toast each other. A group of young men even allows themselves to be carried away and start clapping in time and shouting "Deutschland!" for a moment. However, no one around them wants to join in, and so they quickly stop. There is more applause when the number of spectators in St. Jakob-Park in Basel is displayed on the screen: over 34,000 fans came to the largest European Championship stadium at the tournament in Switzerland on Tuesday, setting the highest number of the tournament.

Not everything is perfect yet

Then the final whistle blows. Some leave in good spirits, while others continue to watch the Swedish women's match against Iceland . The "11 Freunde" European Championship headquarters is the only location showing almost all of the European Championship matches, except for Germany's final group match. The brewery had already rebooked the July 12th slot. "I don't think anyone here would mind if we had the third match here as well," says moderator Richter.

The guests confirm this is true. Anna-Lena Heintze (17) would come back, "but earlier next time." She was among those who only found a seat on the floor. She describes the atmosphere as "awesome" and says she was "positively shocked that it's so crowded here – very nice!"

Frida Riisnes and Frida Woll (both 29) from Norway also say they would definitely come back: "It's not too loud, we can concentrate on the football, and the atmosphere is really relaxed." However, they also came to Kreuzberg due to a lack of alternatives. "We couldn't find anywhere else to watch the European Championship," says Riisnes. The two Norwegians believe that the Women's European Championship receives more attention in their homeland than in Berlin. "Perhaps because the women's team here is better than the men's," says Woll.