Germany have qualified for the
quarter-finals of Canada 2014 as
Group B winners after coming from
behind to beat Brazil 5-1. A Sara
Daebritz hat-trick and a Pauline
Bremer double wiped out the
advantage established by Carol's
first-half opener and left the
Germans to look forward to a last-
eight meeting with the winners of
Group A.
The Brazilians knew that they
needed to beat the two-time
champions by two or more goals if
they were to advance, and despite
the scale of this challenge, the
South Americans set about it with
gusto. Dorival Bueno's side enjoyed
easily the best of the opening
stages, although when chances
started to arrive, it was the Germans
who initially created the better of
them.
The impressive Lena Petermann
created the first, dinking a delicate
through ball into the path of the
quick and powerful Pauline Bremer.
But while the Germany No9 showed
good strength to hold off her marker
as she raced in on goal, her
shooting - not for the last time -
was wayward and the ball slipped
wide of the far post.
Bremer nearly proved more adept as
a creator though, breaking through
in the right channel 12 minutes later
and teeing up Thereas Panfil with a
clever cut-back. Panfil's first-time
shot had plenty of power and
accuracy, too, but it met its match in
a brilliant one-handed save by
Leticia, who dived low to her right
to keep the scoreline blank.
Those let-offs seemed to spark
Brazil into renewed action and as
the half wore on Gabi went close on
two occasions, shooting narrowly
wide from good positions in which
he she might have been expected to
hit the target. The South Americans
continued to impress though and
with 41 minutes played their fine
played earned its reward.
There was, admittedly, a large slice
of good fortune involved, with
Manjou Wilde's attempt at clearing
Camila's floated cross bouncing off
the head of Carol and looping
beyond the helpless Merle Frohms
and in off the post. The nature of
the goal left the crowd wondering
whether this might not be Germany's
day, and those suspicions looked to
be strengthened in first-half injury
time.
That was when Bremer won her team
a penalty after being barged over by
Camila only to miss from the spot,
sending her side-foot effort against
the base of the right-hand post.
That left Brazil to start the second
half needing just one more goal to
qualify at their opponents' expense,
although they would have known
that these particular opponents tend
not to go quietly.
Sure enough, within a few minutes
of the restart, Germany drew level.
Sara Daebritz was the scorer,
stealing in unnoticed on to a Panfil
cross from the right, controlling
with her chest and poking a shot
beyond the advancing Leticia. That
seemed to settle any nerves the
Germans might have been feeling
and, just 14 minutes later, they
moved in front.
This goal was a testament to the
mental strength of Bremer, who
having endured something of a
nightmare first half, atoned in style
for her misses. Picking the ball up
in midfield, she burst towards goal,
evading Julia with pace and a deft
change of direction before skilfully
rounding Leticia and shooting home
from an acute angle with her weaker
foot.
There was never any doubt about
the outcome from that moment, and
there was even time for Diabritz to
take her tally to five for the
tournament. Her second of the game
was remarkably similar to Bremer's
goal, with the midfielder racing
through the centre of Brazil's
defence, side-stepping the keeper
and firing into the net beyond the
helpless covering defenders.
And there was still time for both her
and Bremer to add further goals in
injury time, with Diabritz poking a
left-foot shot high into the net
before her colleague again rounded
Letecia to complete the victory.
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