Nations League | "A great success" for the German women's national team

The images don't fade from memory so easily. On the night of July 23rd in Zurich, the Spanish team, led by FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Aitana Bonmatí, celebrated their European Championship semi-final victory against their bogey team, Germany, with a demonstrative party – as if they had already won the title. Meanwhile, the then-captain of the German national team, Janina Minge, trudged dejectedly across the forecourt of Letzigrund Stadium in the rain.

It's so soon they'll meet again: The Nations League finals are rekindling memories of their experiences in Switzerland. Following the German women's national team's hard-fought 2-2 draw in the second leg of their semi-final in France on Tuesday evening, the first leg of the final will take place on November 28th at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion in Kaiserslautern, with the return leg four days later at Atlético Madrid 's Estadio Metropolitano.

The first title in nine years is within reach.

"The development the team has undergone since October 2024 is exactly what I had hoped for," said Christian Wück. The national coach and his team have experienced a remarkable maturation process within a year. When Wück made his debut with the German women's national team at Wembley Stadium on October 25, the spirited performance in the 4-3 victory against the European champions from England already hinted at what is possible with a courageous style of play.

Now, under Wück's leadership, the German national team is even poised to win its first title in nine years: Their last trophy came in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic final against Sweden. Incidentally, Spain defeated Sweden in the other Nations League semi-final with two victories. After his team's nail-biting match in Caen, the national coach stated: "Reaching the final is a great success for us."

The team and coach remain ambitious.

His players didn't make it quite as dramatic as in the European Championship quarter-final in Basel, but the effortless play of the 1-0 victory in the first leg in Düsseldorf had vanished. "It was a hard-fought match, and I'm incredibly proud that we pulled it off," exclaimed Minge, who had returned to the center of defense after her suspension and, like her teammates, had earned top marks, especially defensively. The team shares the same ambition as the coach: the youth development expert, who won World and European Championships with the U17 juniors, wants to crown his career with trophies in the women's game as well.

Advancing against a strong French side, who showed significant improvement with the support of more than 18,000 fans, served as "confirmation that we are on the right track." Now Wück is eager for a European Championship rematch, describing the semi-final against Spain in retrospect as "a very close call." Only efficiency in front of goal was lacking back then. But even there, according to Wück, the "next step in development" is becoming apparent. Like in the 1-1 draw against France, when Nicole Anyomi, who has been impressive for Eintracht Frankfurt this season, spectacularly countered the early deficit in the twelfth minute. Five minutes after the restart, Klara Bühl followed up with an equally spectacular goal to make it 2-1.

Will Ann-Katrin Berger return in the final?

The fact that a new spine – Stina Johannes in goal, debutant Camilla Küver in defense, Jule Brand as playmaker, and Anyomi as striker – withstood the pressure was a crucial takeaway. A testament to the team spirit is that goalkeeper Johannes would immediately step back into second place should Ann-Katrin Berger become available again: "I hope she recovers quickly and can play: she's our number one and absolutely vital to the team." The final opponent, after all, represents a completely different caliber: the world champions' semi-final matches against Sweden were one-sided affairs. And the core of the national team from FC Barcelona had given the German champions, FC Bayern, a footballing lesson in the Champions League, with a resounding 7-1 victory.

DFB sporting director Nia Künzer can attest that things have been looking up since her appointment almost two years ago. At that time, one of the most recognizable faces in German women's football declared: "It is essential for development in all areas that we get back on the road to success and win titles again." This was followed by a hard-fought third place at the Olympic Games, a passionate performance at the European Championship, and now a well-deserved qualification for the Nations League final – with the prospect of the coveted title.