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Germany Crash Out Of Women's World Cup
by Jeremy Ruane
The unthinkable has become reality!

Germany, twice winners of the FIFA Women's World Cup, a country which has never failed to reach at least the quarter-finals in all eight previous competitions, has crashed out of the 2023 tournament in the group stages after being held to a 1-1 draw by Korea Republic in front of 38,945 disbelieving fans at Suncorp Stadium on 3 August.

With Morocco upsetting group winners Colombia in Perth in a match played simultaneously, the Germans' failure to match the African team's triumph sees them heading for home earlier than ever before, something no one would have predicted prior to these quite remarkable Finals, the first played in the southern hemisphere.

Crossing the equator to compete for the game's greatest prize appears to have been a bridge too far for some of women's football's powerhouse nations, with the Germans joining fellow northern hemisphere countries Canada, China and Italy in making an early exit from a tournament which could well have first-time winners holding the trophy aloft in seventeen days' time.

"Die Nationalelf" could have been ahead just eighty seconds into this encounter, Alexandra Popp shooting straight at Kim Jung Mi after pouncing on a defensive error. But the "Taeguk Ladies", who had to win this match to stand any chance of advancing to the knockout phase themselves, gave their opponents something to think about immediately, Chun Ga Ram and Ji So Yun combining to play in youngster Casey Phair, whose shot was turned onto the post by Merle Frohms.

The Germans paid no heed to that second minute threat, but they certainly paid attention to Korea's sixth minute attack, from which they took the lead. The German rearguard was all at sea as Choe Yu Ri sent Cho So Hyun through the offside trap, and her accomplished finish beyond Frohms gave Colin Bell's charges the ideal start in their quest to qualify for the last sixteen - Korea had to win to stand any chance of doing so.

Germany being Germany, this was a blow they were never going to take lying down, and over the next ten minutes they gave the Korean rearguard an absolute roasting in their pursuit of a swift equaliser.

In the eleventh minute, Klara Buehl, Popp and Lea Schueller combined to play Buehl in through the inside left channel, only for the flank player to fire past the near post. Sixty seconds later, Korean captain Kim Hye Ri - hers was a massive performance in the face of adversity - produced a vital tackle to deny Buehl inside the area, as the Asian Cup runners-up embarked on a backs-to-the-wall effort in a bid to keep out their opponents.

On the quarter hour, Buehl was again in the spotlight, this time being picked out by Svenja Huth's measured cross to the far post. Over the far angle her header flashed, while German captain just failed to get on the end of a cross to the far post soon afterwards.

Korea eventually weathered the storm, but Germany continued to dominate possession as they sought a way to square the ledger. They were given another scare when Ji broke ranks and battered a dipping thirty-yarder narrowly over the crossbar eight minutes before half-time, but five minutes later, parity on the scoreboard was restored through Germany's usual suspect.

Lena Oberdorf, the latest star off Germany's production line of fabulously talented midfield
generals, sparked the move, linking with Sara Daebritz to bring Huth into play. Her cross was tailor-made for Popp to power home a header, and her fourth goal of the season duly sailed beyond Kim Jung Mi for a deserved equaliser.

After the interval, Germany tore into the task at hand, but it wasn't happening on Kim Hye Ri's watch. Twice inside the first five minutes of the second spell she denied the two-time title-holders, on the first occasion producing a stunning clearance to prevent Popp from getting on the end of a cross after Huth and Schueller had combined on the right.

Buehl was next to fall victim to the Korean captain's defensive wiles, her shot being blocked after the winger had nutmegged Choo Hoy Joo and made in-roads off the left flank. 'Twas down the right from where the Germans next posed a threat, and this time Popp had the ball in the net again as she headed home Schueller's brilliant back-heeled assist, only for the Video Assistant Referee to deem that she was offside, and her 57th minute strike wouldn't count.

Unperturbed, Popp and her pals pressed forward again, Schueller and Huth again teaming up for the benefit of their captain, who this time sent a header crashing against the crossbar on the hour, a sight which prompted Korea to introduce gangling striker Park Eun Sun to the fray, with one task only to fulfil - stop Popp!

The makeshift centre back made a great fist of her new role, but every so often, Popp would escape her beanpole opponent's attention and threaten the Korean goal yet again. Not before the "Taeguk Ladies" earned a 71st minute corner, however, Ji's delivery being missed by Frohms and just failing to be met on the far post by Cho as the ball careered through the goalmouth.

Cue Popp, who was now enjoying the support of substitute Sydney Lohmann in an attacking sense. The newcomer sparked the 74th minute chance from which her captain sent a thumping header straight at Kim Jung Mi - either side of her and it would have been 2-1 Germany.

Into stoppage time, Korea's 'keeper saved at the feet of Popp, then looked on with relief as Lohmann, charging through midfield, lashed a rising twenty-yard drive inches over the bar, soon after she had sent a twenty-five yarder skidding past the post as the Koreans held on for dear life.

Their efforts proved worthwhile, New Zealand referee Anna-Marie Keighley's final whistle bringing with it a huge sigh of relief from the Koreans. But for Germany, this was uncharted territory - out of the FIFA Women's World Cup after playing just three matches.

Their players' expressions said it all - stunned, dumbfounded, bewilderment, total disbelief. Their reality will likely most keenly be felt at Brisbane Airport in the next day or so, as the Germans make their earliest ever departure from this quadrennial celebration of women's football.

Whoever would have thought that sentence would be written at the start of this footballing extravaganza? Germany out! Incredible!

Korea Rep.:     J. Kim; H. Kim, Lee, Shim; Choo, Chun (Park, 63), Ji, Cho (Kang, 90), Jang; Choe, Phair (Moon, 86)
Germany:     Frohms; Huth, Hendrich, Hagering (booked, 90), Hagel; Daebritz (Lattwein, 64), Popp, Oberdorf; Brand (Anyomi, 84), Schueller, Buehl (Lohmann, 64)
Referee:     Anna-Marie Keighley (New Zealand)


Group H