Alexandra Popp stood in black jacket and sobbing sobbing on the lawn with dirty necks, repeatedly hugging from a laughing teammate. After an emotional comeback, the leadership of the German footballers after the final whistle had still lost the version.
“You rarely see me cry, but the moment the tears were inaccessible,” said the 31-year-old Wolfsburg, when she was back in Bielefeld and sat in the mint green outfit at the press conference. The return of the 31-year-old from VfL Wolfsburg after one-year forced break because of a serious knee injury exbraded on Saturday 3-0 (1: 0) victory of the DFB selection against Portugal.
The em as “big whole” motivating in mind
In the event of their ability in the 59th minute, the 2016 Olympic champion was still very relaxed. “But when I saw Svenni, who has given me the captain’s nobility, what I did not expect at the moment, because it has my first time a bit – I do not want to say – torn,” Popp said later about the scene Svenja Huth and supplemented: “After the final whistle, yes, it has me – to be honest – quite overperated. It was somehow a moment where I thought: Now I actually made it back to the place.”
Your 112nd international game will probably always remain in special memory. After a cartilage break in the knee last year, she had fought back in a difficult rehab. Always the European Championship in England as a “big whole” motivating. The tournament in July is also the focus of German women despite the qualifying games for Australia / New Zealand 2023. The World Cup ticket can solve the team around Popp on the third last match day on April 12th (16:00 and ZDF) in Stara Pazova against Serbia.
“Nice that Poppi is back”
Popp saw “a good game of my team”, which landed the seventh success in the seventh game before 7364 spectators and in the table with 21 points clearly before Serbia (15) and Portugal (13) leads. Your club colleges Lena Oberdorf (40th minute) and Felicitas smoke (80th) as well as Klara Bühl of FC Bayern Munich (55th) achieved the gates for the two-time world champion and record European champion.
Dinner and a speech of the national trainer there was still special for the returnee. “It’s just nice that Poppi is back,” Martina Voss-Tecklenburg had previously emphasized. “That Poppi has worked very hard for this return, is out of the question. And that you also have to work very hard in the next few weeks and months, she knows that too. That will do it.”
The competition in the squad is great, but Germany’s twofold “footballer of the year” has spoken through its experience, presence and versatility good cards in the European Championship casting and with Voss-Tecklenburg already talked about its potential role. “Basically, she has a plan with me, who likes me quite well,” revealed the trained striker with the 53 international games. Namely: “to play with me in the front in the top.” But of course, the cadrime constellation is crucial: “There it can always happen that I am to be found in the back.”