MARTINA VOSS-TECKLENBURG admits it’s hard not to see Germany’s shock World Cup departure as anything but a disaster.
On Thursday she became the first boss in charge of a German women’s national side that failed to reach the competition’s knockout stages.
Her team once again saw their major tournament hopes dashed by Lionesses, albeit a side that hails from north Africa.
Germany’s 1-1 draw with South Korea contributed to their early exit along with Morocco’s gritty 1-0 win against Group H leaders Colombia.
The surprise result saw last year’s Women’s African Cup of Nations finalists, reach the World Cup knockouts for the first time ever.
And Germany’s exit comes eight months after their male counterparts bowed out at the group stage of the men’s contest in Qatar.
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Voss-Tecklenburg, whose side were among the favourites to win the tournament, said: “If you want to see it as a disaster in sporting terms, then it’s hard to argue against it.
“Our team of coaches will talk about what happened of course and what we could have done differently,
“But it’s not something I can analyse one and half hours after exiting.
“Of course I’m disappointed, of course I’m frustrated.
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“Overall we never really played our game the way we know we can.”
Germany’s only goal of the game came through their star striker Alexandra Popp who also scored in every single match she played for the team at last year’s Euros.
The Wolfsburg star headed home close to half time cancelling out South Korea captain Cho So-hyun’s sixth minute opener.
Popp, 32, who has netted 67 times for her national team, was left flummoxed by their surprise early World Cup exit.
After the game she said: “To be honest I can’t comprehend it. I don’t know what I should really say.
“I can’t really understand what has happened to be honest.
Voss-Tecklenburg, 55, who has been in charge of Germany since 2019, remained tight-lipped in response to questions concerning her future.
Then team have often been seen as one the giants of the tournament having won it twice in 2003 and 2007.
And a team that featured Voss-Tecklenburg as a player finished as runners-up in 1995.
Of their World Cup exit, she added: “In our squad we’ve tried to change certain things and adapt, but we weren’t successful.
“What it’s about now is how we rise again and not give up. We love this sport, but we need to let this sink in.
“I don’t want to look for excuses for anything. If the result isn’t what you want, then of course you’ve got to accept that responsibility.”
Morocco’s 1-0 defeat of Colombia saw them claim second spot in Group H.
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And it also saw the battling tournament debutants help their continent make history in the contest.
For the first time three African nations have reached the knockout stage at the same time.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
