Larissa Mühlhaus in the DFB team: First international match, first goal

Christian Wück had certain concerns before this first international match of the year. Also because Klara Bühl had been injured a few days earlier, the soccer player who was reliably one of the most dangerous offensive players in the German national team. In addition, Selina Cerci had to leave the game with an injury and was also missing from the wing. But above all, the national coach feared a drop in body tension among his players at this start to qualifying for the 2027 World Cup. Slovenia, for the first time in a long time, was a significantly weaker opponent. And Julian Nagelsmann’s DFB men showed at the start of their World Cup qualification against Slovakia that you can really embarrass yourself as a favorite.

At first it looked as if Wück didn’t have to worry at all. But after two early goals, a certain sloppiness crept onto the pitch in Dresden’s Rudolf Harbig Stadium and interfered first with the shots and then with the defending. Exactly those lapses in concentration that they had wanted to avoid. In the end, the victory in front of 19,169 spectators of 5:0 (2:0) was as clear as it should have been. “It was important to me that we stick to our identity,” said the national coach on ARD. “We got that done. But we still have a lot to do.”

Before the start, the national coach said in the SZ interview that he would “certainly try something out in one position or another, depending on the state of the game. But I can’t experiment too much.” The 52-year-old didn’t change anything about his system, but he was forced to make changes on Tuesday evening because of the failures. Compared to the lost Nations League final against world champions Spain in December, Wück changed his starting eleven to four positions. Instead of Cerci and Bühl on the wings as well as Janina Minge in the back four and Nicole Anyomi in attack, defender Camilla Küver, Vivien Endemann on the outside, Shekiera Martinez in attack and Linda Dallmann started. The latter played on the ten, Jule Brand moved from there to the right wing.

The change worked, the offense was flexible, the coordination in the midfield was there – and even if the Slovenians pressed high, the German defense was not embarrassed. In the sixth minute, Sjoeke Nüsken won the ball in a duel and quickly passed it to Dallmann, who passed it on to Endemann. And the 24-year-old from VfL Wolfsburg was able to use all her speed to make it 1-0 from five meters through the legs of Slovenia goalkeeper Zala Mersnik. Five minutes later, Endemann faked a cross on the left of the penalty area only to pass it to Elisa Senß, and the ball was in again.

At the break, Wück stood behind the gang with a critical eye

This interaction should have led to one, two or three more goals in the first half. But Endemann and Martinez lacked precision. The Germans themselves ignited the spark of hope among the Slovenians that perhaps something could work against the favorites with one or two bad passes and negligence in defense. In the 41st minute, goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger just got close to Zara Kramzar’s shot with her foot. Wück has long stood behind the gang with a critical eye.

A 2-0 win at the break was obviously enough for the national coach to try out more players. He took Jule Brand and the two full-backs Franziska Kett and captain Giulia Gwinn off the pitch. Sarai Linder, Carlotta Wamser and Larissa Mühlhaus came for this. Wück had said before the game that he believed the latter could solve his finishing problem – and the Werder Bremen striker showed right from her debut that he could be right about that.

In the 48th minute it was only Dallmann who made it 3-0, again through the legs of Mersnik. Dallmann almost scored again immediately afterwards. But then Mühlhaus succeeded. And for the premiere it was something special: while falling with her right hand, she caught a blocked ball and thundered it under the crossbar from close range. The lack of concentration had long since disappeared, and it was fitting that evening that substitute Lea Schüller also scored a goal; Recently she had been stuck in a performance slump. Schüller, Endemann, Nüsken and Mühlhaus were either offside when they had further chances, shot just wide or at the keeper. This reminded us of the well-known problem with efficiency. But nothing really went wrong that evening.