Match in Focus: More late drama as Germany clinch bronze

A tale of two penalties saw Germany win Olympic bronze in Horst Hrubesch's last game in charge, as Ann-Katrin Berger denied Alexia Putellas from the spot with the final action of the match...

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The phrase ‘football is a game of emotions’ was made for days like today.

As Alexia Putellas stepped up for a penalty which was awarded just 10 seconds before the end of seven minutes added time, those inside the Stade de Lyon must have felt another dose of extra-time was incoming.

Less than a minute later, Germany’s bronze-laden players were collectively sprawled on top of yet again penalty hero Ann-Katrin Berger, while Spain’s flocked around a devastated Alexia, whose penalty kick was pushed away by the goalkeeper.

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In the mixed zone in the immediacy after the match, the emotions were laid bare.

Spain’s players were teary-eyed. Cata Coll could barely maintain her emotions after conceding the penalty which allowed Germany and Giulia Gwinn to land the decisive blow, while Aitana Bonmatí stopped to talk, donned in the jersey of Germany’s number nine Sjoeke Nüsken.

Alexia made her way through almost zombie-like, while for Germany the emotions were at the other end of the extreme. Vivien Endemann took joy in squirting water from her lucozade bottle at any teammates stood speaking to the media, while Jenni Hermoso stood bleary-eyed, staring at the TV screens replaying the final seconds of the game as she waited to speak to the assembled Spanish media.

After all of it, Germany take home the bronze medal.

Germans, penalties, some things never change…

Here’s five key takeaways from the match in WFC’s view…

Berger comes up big...again

"To be honest, I don't know how to feel right now, I still can't believe what just happened,” said Berger in the mixed zone post-match. “I just know my team is unbelievable, they put a huge shift in and I didn't really have much to do.

“When they needed me I was there, but like I said, I have literally no feelings right now because I can't believe it.”

The words of a goalkeeper who hadn’t quite taken in what had just unfolded a few minutes earlier.

After being the hero less than a week ago with two saves from the penalty spot in a shootout against Canada, Berger came up big again, this time with the final action of the game to stop Alexia’s penalty and clinch a bronze medal.

It’s been a brutal couple of weeks for every player, with six games in no more than 16 days, but Germany will go to Paris on Saturday to be part of the medal ceremony after the gold medal match between the USA and Brazil.

"It does [feel worth it], for sure. It is a great feeling, it's a nice feeling and I'm really looking forward to getting that medal. As an athlete, you always want more and it was quite sad we didn't go to the final, but the shift we put in today we deserve and I can't wait.”

On the penalty, she admits she’ll need some time to sit down and watch it back to take it all in.

"Oh yeah. 100%. If you ask me any other questions about the penalty, I can't tell you. Can't tell you what I was feeling, what I was thinking, my brain just switched off and I did it."

Germany switched things up

With suddenly the likes of Alex Popp, Lea Schüller and Sarai Linder all back in contention, Horst Hrubesch had plenty of options in his final game in charge when it came to how to try and counter Spain's threats in his final game in charge of Germany.

His moves were a little rogue, but they paid off well throughout the game. Linder moved to right-back as Felicitas Rauch continued at left-back, with Gwinn doubling up with Linder down the right, presumably to help against the threat of Salma Paralluelo down Spain's left hand side.