Third cruciate ligament tear feared: European Championship "shock": Giulia Gwinn's tears overshadow DFB victory

For German national team captain Giulia Gwinn, the European Football Championship may only last 40 minutes. She injured her knee in the opening victory against Poland. While the team hopes it's not that serious, Gwinn's knee woes become a déjà vu.

Her hands over her face, tears streaming: Giulia Gwinn lies just beyond the halfway line in the 40th minute of the German women's European Championship group match against Poland (2-0). Her knee is apparently badly injured. The captain of the German national team has to be substituted. Her first tournament match as the team's leader ends bitterly and far too soon. "It was a shock," said national coach Christian Wück about the scene.

Two minutes earlier, Gwinn had made a crucial save in the penalty area from FC Barcelona's Polish star striker Ewa Pajor with a mega-sliding tackle, preventing the deficit. "We have to give her credit for preventing the goal," said Wück. But: "The victory came at an extremely bitter price." The 26-year-old twisted her knee in the process. While she flicked the ball away with her right leg, her left leg was bent, and she slipped on it as it twisted sideways. Gwinn remained on the ground after the action, while Pajor looked at the German in shock. Referee Stephanie Frappard immediately called for medical assistance.

When she's able to stand up on her own shortly afterwards, things don't seem quite so bad at first. The right-back even returns to the pitch, but then falls to the ground again in midfield, suffering from the pain. Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger rushes to her, while Lea Schüller and Janina Minge run up from the other side of the pitch. It's a "brutal shock" for Minge, who wears the armband as vice-captain. Gwinn leaves the field in tears and supported by her coaches.

"First, take me in my arms"

Her parents, who accompany their daughter to almost every game, are suffering in the stands. They became known to the public for their black, red, and gold wigs. When their daughter disappears into the catacombs and doesn't reappear inside the stadium for the second half, her parents are also no longer seen in the stands.

Gwinn is still in the locker room when the game ends. She's the reason why the team only celebrates briefly on the pitch, despite the opening victory thanks to goals from Jule Brand and Lea Schüller, and why the jumping to Major Tom's "Völlig losgelöst" (Totally Detached) played over the loudspeakers quickly ends. "After the game, we all went up to her and hugged her. It was important to us to show her that we're there for her and that she's extremely important to us," says Laura Freigang.

The situation is a tragedy for Gwinn. The diagnosis is still pending, and she needs an MRI scan, which will take place on Saturday, according to the DFB. Freigang and his team are hopeful: "We are all with her in our thoughts and hope until the very last moment that it might have looked worse than it actually is."

Gwinn has already suffered two cruciate ligament tears

When it comes to her knees, Gwinn is a bit of a burnt child. She's already torn two cruciate ligaments: in 2020 and 2023, first her right, then her left. Both times she suffered them in games for the German national team. The second was particularly bitter: initially, it was said that only the lateral ligament was affected. Gwinn breathed a sigh of relief. Then the next day, she got a blow: it was her cruciate ligament after all. The right-back has already been out of football for two years due to her knee injuries and will also miss the 2023 World Cup. A horror she had actually wanted to put behind her. But now the worry lines are deep again.

Her early exit is also a tragedy for the German national team. They lose their captain on the pitch. The FC Bayern player had received so much praise from her teammates after being named successor to Alexandra Popp, who ended her career for Germany. "On the pitch, she gives me security, believes in me, even when she knows things aren't going well. She's always in a good mood and the most sociable person I know," Brand said. And Elisa Senß has "a huge amount of trust." Gwinn makes announcements when necessary, gets people excited, and has matured even further as the team's spokesperson.

Gwinn replacement Wamser surprised by his own nomination

But Gwinn's potential tournament exit isn't just a blow to the DFB team's feelings and self-image; she also played a significant role in their playing. With regard to the squad, there had been skepticism about national coach Christian Wück's decisions. Wück had nominated Carlotta Wamser as Gwinn's substitute. She herself hadn't expected to participate in the European Championships at all. "Christian only had my mother's number and then called her. I think my mother didn't answer three times. Then he tried again. Afterward, my mother called me and told me to call him back," Wamser said.

The 21-year-old, who has been under contract with Bayer Leverkusen since July 1st and previously played for Eintracht Frankfurt, had only made two international appearances before the tournament. And even though she's versatile, she's more at home in midfield. But now she's up for it – her third international match, her first European Championship appearance. "She came into the game extremely well. You couldn't tell she was nervous at all. It wasn't an easy situation for her; she had to go from zero to 100 without much of a warm-up," said center-back Minge about her new teammate. Freigang describes her former Frankfurt teammate as an "incredible bundle of energy." He explains: "She hasn't been playing the full-back position for all that long, but all her strengths magically combine in this position. She powers forward, wins one-on-ones at the back, and is incredibly fast. Because she was a striker for a long time, she has an eye for the future."

And Wamser actually managed to score the first assist. She won the ball and delivered it to the incoming Brand. The future Lyon player fired the ball into the far corner with her left foot from the edge of the penalty area (52'). She also set up Lea Schüller's 2-0 goal by outpacing a Polish player at the corner flag and passing the ball to Brand, who then fed the incoming Schüller (66').

Wück sees his views vindicated: "I think everyone has now seen that she's rightfully with us," he said after the match. He has 100 percent confidence in Carlotta. Perhaps he and the team will have no other choice in the upcoming matches against Denmark (Tuesday, 6 p.m./ARD and in the ntv.de live ticker) and Sweden (July 12, 9 p.m./ZDF and in the ntv.de live ticker) . Because Gwinn's tears don't bode well.