In their first match of the Women's European Cup of Nations, the German women's national team defeated France. In front of 283 spectators at the Bundesstützpunkt Arena in Füssen, the game ended 3-2 (1-1, 2-0, 0-1) for the team coached by Jeff MacLeod. The goal scorers for the DEBThe selection consisted of Lilli Welcke, Celina Haider and Luisa Welcke.

The German team initially had to play shorthanded after Aileena Dopheide received a penalty in the 4th minute. The French had their best chance later, in the ninth minute, when they tested Chiara Schultes in the German goal for the first time. The visitors continued to press and scored a deserved 1-0 lead in the tenth minute through Manon Le Scodan. Luisa Welcke had the first clear opportunity to equalize in the 15th minute. Shortly afterward, Franziska Feldmeier's breakaway shot hit the side netting. The German team was now visibly more in control and deservedly equalized through Lilli Welcke 67 seconds before the break.

In the second period, the German team pressed on and increased their lead to 2-1 in the 26th minute through Celina Haider, who had a clear shot from close range. The German women maintained their dominance throughout the remainder of the game and created further good scoring opportunities. After a superb pass from Hanna Weichenhain across the middle of the period, Luisa Welcke capped off a breakaway with a backhand shot to make it 3-1 at the intermission (34th minute).

The final section was designed by DEBThe French team started with confidence, but conceded a goal to Clara Rozier (48th minute) to make it 3-2 after a misplaced pass in their own zone. A subsequent penalty against Ronja Hark failed to benefit the French. The game ended in a tense, back-and-forth affair with no further goals. Even with six players, the visitors couldn't create any significant chances, and the opening game of the Women's European Cup of Nations ended 3-2.

Celina Haider was named player of the evening.

The second game of the tournament will take place on Friday evening. The opponent is the team from Norway. The game starts at 18:00 PM.

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National coach Jeff MacLeod: "It was the first game of the season and also our first win, which we're very happy about. Overall, it was a successful performance, even though it was noticeable that we needed some time to adjust after a few changes to the lineup. The team improved from period to period and gained more confidence. It's important that we give every player the opportunity to showcase their skills – regardless of the opponent. This game was a good step in that direction. For tomorrow's game, we expect to continue working on our tactics. We'll make further adjustments to the lineup to test different variations. The team still needs to get used to the substitutions, but that's exactly what these games are for. With every practice, we'll gel better as a team."

Defender Tara Schmitz"You could tell today that it was our first game of the season. We had to find our rhythm and adjust to the changes. Things improved as the game went on, we gained more confidence, and in the end, we secured our first win of the new season. Overall, it was a successful start that we can now build on."

Schedule Germany

Women's European Cup of Nations: Germany beats France 3-2

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Schedule Germany