Germany played spoilers to England's championship hopes Tuesday afternoon, dispatching the Lionesses' dream of lifting the SheBelieves Cup by claiming all three points with a 1-0 victory courtesy of Anja Mittag.
Germany starts slowly
Germany were the weaker team for the opening 15 minutes. The Germans, who came into the game with zero goals for and one against, struggled to deal with England’s pressure, which stifled their passing out of the back and forced goalkeeper Laura Benkarth to make several uncomfortable clearances under pressure. England captain Steph Houghton also kept their backline honest with probing balls over the top, but the real stars for both teams were on the flanks.
With Jodie Taylor and Lucy Bronze roaming free, England dominated the right side, finding opportunities for high-pressing strikers Taylor and Toni Duggan in the box. Germany had similar success down their flanks, with their outside players Leonie Maier, Anna Blasse, and Isabel Kerschowski pushing to the endline. It was Blasse who provided the best early look for either team, when her cross on the ground found Mittag open 12 yards out. The striker couldn’t convert, and her shot fired wide of the near post.
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Mittag scores vital goal
When Germany found the breakthrough, it came from the flanks. Sara Dabritz started the play with a run up the left flank before laying the ball off to Mittag. She stepped over the ball, leaving it for Magull, who played a first-time pass into the box. Mittag, who didn’t have the greatest tournament, finished this chance with conviction, blasting the ball inside the far post. It gave the Germans a 1-0 lead and their first goal in the tournament.
England head coach Mark Sampson was disappointed in the score, but pleased at his team’s adjustments. “We lost our connections and our compactness in the middle to late period of the first half and it resulted in us getting hurt, either down the sides or in between our backline and our midfield line, and the goal came from that,” Sampson said.
“Mittag’s an outstanding player and if you give her an opportunity to face your backline she has the capacity to punish you and she did. Which was unfortunate, I always felt we could have come in at nil-nil, raise the gear in the second half, and in the second half we got our compactness right, our intensity right, and it resulted in some chances to score.”
England did have more chances in the second half, and their high pressure defensive style was able to limit Germany’s opportunities, but the damage was done, and the scoreline held in Germany’s favor.
Germany head coach Steffi Jones was thrilled her team found a way to win.
“After the first game where we lost to the US team and being so unlucky against France, it was for me, as a shortly head coach, wishing for a win tonight, so I’m just glad that the team really finished it finally,” Jones said. “Scoring finally and then being able to show so much passion and want something so much and you have those chances you wish for your team that it wins and it was finally done.”
Germany finished the tournament in second place with four points and a 1-1-1 record, while England finished in third place ahead of the United States, who had the same 1-2 record but with an inferior goal differential.