Berger: "I'm not so proud of myself"
A fabulous save in extra time, two penalty saves, and one of her own: The evening couldn't have gone better for Ann-Katrin Berger. But she played it down—and found cause for self-criticism.
Head-scratching: Ann-Katrin Berger's parades amazed many in Basel. IMAGO/Eibner
Even after several minutes, she still didn't know how to explain her greatest feat. "I just had to think about what happened. I have no idea," said Ann-Katrin Berger , standing in the mixed zone after the quarterfinal victory over France (6-5 on penalties). Her save in the 103rd minute was a mixture of reaction and instinct: "I don't know how I got there, to be honest."
Captain Janina Minge headed a cross towards her own goal midway through extra time – over Berger. The goalkeeper just managed to clear the ball off the goal line as it bounced back.
It would by no means be Berger's only crucial move, as she saved two penalties and converted one in the shootout. Nevertheless, she played it down: "I'm not so proud of myself. I'm proud of the team," Berger clarified on ZDF . "Being on the pitch with ten players for 110 or 100 minutes is a tough job." Kathrin Hendrich had already been shown the red card in the 13th minute for a violent offense.
"I just did my part, but the team did all the work. That's why I always find it a shame that I get applauded as the goalkeeper," Berger said. She has "tremendous respect" for her team.
Before the penalty shootout, the 34-year-old had a water bottle with a cheat sheet ready for her: Where would the potential French shooters be shooting? But all the preparation was in vain.
"My goalkeeping coach tried so hard, but I just didn't pay attention," Berger said. She's "the type who lives a little more in the moment" and listened to her gut feeling. But she also offered some self-criticism: "My grandpa will probably say the same thing: Sometimes I jumped too early, and I know that myself. I'll probably get a little bit of trouble from our national coach because he also said, 'You always jump into the same, wrong corner.'"
It's hard to imagine Berger getting into any kind of trouble after this top performance. The Göppingen native may even have contributed to her DFB teammates' converted penalties. She approached the German shooters before their attempts and gave them a line: "You can beat me in training (at penalties, ed.) , so you can beat the (French, ed.) goalkeeper."
