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New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Germany vs Spain Euro 2025 semi-final odds, prediction: World champions expected to go through
This should be a straightforward result. Spain, the all-conquering world champions, are on the verge of reaching their second straight major final. They've won nine games in a row. At this tournament alone, they've scored a total of 16 goals and conceded just three. They're up against a Germany side that have already been thrashed 4-1 during this tournament and one that scraped through to the semi-finals on penalties. And yet, there is hope for the Germans — enough to make them think they can cause another shock. At this stage of a European Championship, anything can happen. Advertisement Germany — the eight-time winners of this tournament and the two-time world champions — have not won a major trophy for almost 10 years and are going through a tricky spell as they aim to work their way back to the summit of women's football. Against France, they looked down and out. Germany were down to 10 players in the 13th minute after Kathrin Hendrich's moment of madness and down 1-0 against a talented French team that looked like dark horses to win the competition. But the Germans fought tooth and nail to get back level with a numerical disadvantage and did so in the first half through Chelsea's Sjoeke Nüsken. After grinding through extra time with fewer players, they held their nerve to convert six of their seven penalty attempts in the shootout. Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was the hero on the night, making a string of fantastic stops before thwarting Alice Sombath to take Germany through to the last four. Germany faced 10 shots against France and Berger made nine saves. She even scored a penalty herself. Spain, who had a relatively comfortable evening by comparison as they cruised past Switzerland 2-0, might suddenly think that their task against the Germans could be a challenging one after all. The host nation still made Spain work for their victory as they were forced to wait until the 66th minute for the opening goal through substitute Athenea del Castillo, before Claudia Pina made sure of their passage to the semis with the second goal five minutes later. Spain also missed two penalties through Alexia Putellas — one at the start of the game and the other after they had a two-goal cushion. So things aren't looking completely rosy for the 2023 World Cup winners, even though they've won all four of their games at Euro 2025 by at least two goals. There is still some fragility in the foundation — perhaps only small ones — but enough for Germany to possibly exploit if they can put together a smart game plan. Advertisement It's no surprise that Spain are the favourites to make it through to another final. Betfair are backing them at 1/4, while Germany are understandably outsiders at 10/3, but they still have every chance of upsetting their rivals. At this stage of the tournament, both teams can sense glory. Spain have a real chance of laying down a marker and announcing themselves as the dominant force by winning back-to-back major tournaments. But as France discovered, Germany can be a menace even when their backs are up against the wall. Winning is in their DNA. They're the most successful team in European history and they will put up one hell of a fight. Odds (for regular time) via Betfair Time: Wednesday, 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. ET) Venue: Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich Spain 2, Germany 1 Spain will have to produce a much better display than the one they offered against Switzerland. Not everything went their way in the quarter-finals against the underdog hosts, even though they eventually got the win they needed. Germany is a big step up and Spain won't be able to make the same mistakes they did in the last round. Any missed opportunities against a team like Germany will be punished, so they'll have to step things up. I think it will be a battle that could end up going either way, but I'm not going against the tournament favourites Spain. Betting/odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Aitana Bonmati: Eddie Keogh / Getty Images)
Times of Oman
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Times of Oman
Euro 2025: Germany beat France thanks to Berger
Ann-Katrin Berger ended the Euro 2025 quarterfinal as she'd started it, with a broad smile. As the rest of Germany's team belted out the national anthem prematch with their game faces on, their goalkeeper grinned and took in the surroundings. After her second penalty save won a match Germany looked to have lost inside 15 minutes, that smile was wider still. Just before her save, Berger herself scored a penalty in a 6-5 shootout win after the game had finished 1-1 after extra time. Before that, she'd made a stunning save in extra time, as her teammate Janina Minge's header looped towards her own net. Germany did it the hard way, playing with 10 players for well over 100 minutes after Kathrin Hendrich had been sent off early, with France's Grace Geyoro scoring the resulting penalty on 15 minutes. Sjoeke Nüsken then equalized with a header for Germany ten minutes later before missing a penalty of her own in the second half. Bouncing back from criticism Berger had been the subject of plenty of scrutiny in the buildup after she was part of a defense that self-destructed in the 4-1 defeat to Sweden in Germany's final group game. She has also had to contend with her partner, England's Jess Carter, being similarly criticized for her performance in England's penalty win over Sweden on Thursday. "You learn from mistakes, and we showed that today," Berger said postmatch. "We just knew how to deal with a situation like that, and I think that was decisive. So I'm unbelievably proud of the team, and I'm happy that we got that beating from Sweden, because as you saw, it was really cool out there." Having taken until the age of 34 to nail down a spot as Germany's number one, she was not about to let this slip. 'A terrific performance," said Germany coach Christian Wück of his goalkeeper. 'We knew that she would give us stability. We need personalities like Ann when we're outnumbered." The former Chelsea and Turbine Potsdam keeper, who now plays for Gotham FC in the USA, was part of the Germany squad that finished runners-up in the previous Euros. But, during that tournament, she found out that her thyroid cancer had returned. Fighting cancer to return to football "It wasn't a happy moment obviously, and it was completely unexpected," she told tournament organizers UEFA recently. "But that's why I go for routine check-ups." The cancer, which she beat for a second time in 2022, was first detected in 2017. Berger somehow returned to action just 61 days later after surgery. 'As a footballer you don't think about it. You have to live a healthy life, you do sport every day so it was quite a shock, it's not usual in my family,' she told DW in 2019. 'For me it was not a solution to be ill," she continued. "As a sportsperson you have to fight everyday. Even for my position I have to fight every training session to be on the pitch on a Sunday. Goalkeepers have a bad reputation, I don't know why, as crazy people. I wouldn't say I am (crazy) but I think the mentality of a goalkeeper helped me through that as well." That mentality was a key feature of Berger's performance on Saturday. As well as her saves, she led a makeshift Germany defense through a match where they were concerned mostly with hanging on. Penalty specialist As well as her mental fortitude, penalties have been a defining feature of Berger's career. But she said on Saturday that she still has improvements to make. "In moments like that, nothing goes through my head. I go to my spot and wait for the referee to blow her whistle. I have to be a little critical of myself, because I think I jumped a little too early on a couple of penalties, and didn't have the patience I had with the other penalties. But in the end it worked out." It wasn't the first time it's worked out. After the retirement of previous first choice keeper, Merle Frohms, Berger had previously established her credentials by saving two penalties in the 2024 Olympics quarterfinals against Canada before scoring the decisive spot kick herself to send Germany through. She then saved another against Spain to secure her team a bronze medal. Spain, World Cup winners in 2023 and who have won their four games so far in the Euros by a combined score of 14-3, await in Wednesday's semifinal. Berger will no doubt be ready with a smile.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Euro 2025: Germany beats France in shootout despite 11th-minute red card
Germany reached the semifinals of the Women's Euro 2025 the hard way. Forced to play 10-vs.-11 for most of the match due to an 11th-minute red card, the Germans beat France in a shootout to advance out of the quarterfinals. It was the first time in tournament history a team won a game after falling behind with 10 players. Their reward is a matchup with Spain on Wednesday. England faces Italy in the other semifinal on Tuesday, after a dramatic win of its own. Germany is easily the most successful team in the Women's Euro history with seven titles plus an eighth as West Germany, though they've fallen short in the last two tournaments after winning six straight. They appeared doomed to a second quarterfinal loss in three tournaments when defender Kathrin Hendrich was called for a red card on a truly pointless hair pull during a free kick. Not only was Germany relegated to 10 players on the field, France was also given a penalty that Grace Geyoro converted to take a 1-0 lead. No team had ever won a Euro match from the position Germany found itself in, but it scored the equalizer 10 minutes later on a corner kick via a header from Sjoeke Nüsken. Both teams had the opportunity to break the 1-1 tie from there. France appeared to score the go-ahead goal in the 40th minute, but was called offsides. Germany got a penalty kick in the 68th minute, but France stopped it. The game went to extra time, then shootouts after a scoreless half-hour. Both teams missed only one of their first six shots, until Janina Minge scored on the seventh shot and Ann-Katrin Berger stopped Amel Majri's do-or-die shot. Spain, the only team in the field ranked higher by FIFA than Germany, now awaits, but it's going to be hard to argue Germany didn't survive a harder challenge on Saturday.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Euro 2025: Germany beats France in shootout despite early red card
Germany reached the semifinals of the Women's Euro 2025 the hard way. Forced to play 10-vs.-11 for most of the match due to an early red card, the Germans beat France in a shootout to advance out of the quarterfinals. It was the first time in tournament history a team won a game after falling behind with 10 players. Their reward is a matchup with Spain on Wednesday. England faces Italy in the other semifinal on Tuesday, after a dramatic win of its own. Germany is easily the most successful team in the Women's Euro history with seven titles plus an eighth as West Germany, though they've fallen short in the last two tournaments after winning six straight. They appeared doomed to a second quarterfinal loss in three tournaments when defender Kathrin Hendrich was called for a red card on a truly pointless hair pull during a free kick. The foul was caught by VAR and confirmed in the 13th minute. Not only was Germany relegated to 10 players on the field, France was also given a penalty that Grace Geyoro converted to take a 1-0 lead. No team had ever won a Euro match from the position Germany found itself in, but it scored the equalizer 10 minutes later on a corner kick via a header from Sjoeke Nüsken. Both teams had the opportunity to break the 1-1 tie from there. France appeared to score the go-ahead goal in the 40th minute, but was called offsides. Germany got a penalty kick in the 68th minute, but France stopped it. The game went to extra time, then shootouts after a scoreless half-hour. Both teams missed only one of their first six shots, until Janina Minge scored on the seventh shot and Ann-Katrin Berger stopped Amel Majri's do-or-die shot. Spain, the only team in the field ranked higher by FIFA than Germany, now awaits, but it's going to be hard to argue Germany didn't survive a harder challenge Saturday.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Euro 2025: Germany beats France in shootout despite early red card
Germany reached the semifinals of the Women's Euro 2025 the hard way. Forced to play 10-vs.-11 for most of the match due to an early red card, the Germans beat France in a shootout to advance out of the quarterfinals. It was the first time in tournament history a team won a game after falling behind with 10 players. Their reward is a matchup with Spain on Wednesday. England faces Italy in the other semifinal on Tuesday, after a dramatic win of its own. Germany is easily the most successful team in the Women's Euro history with seven titles plus an eighth as West Germany, though they've fallen short in the last two tournaments after winning six straight. They appeared doomed to a second quarterfinal loss in three tournaments when defender Kathrin Hendrich was called for a red card on a truly pointless hair pull during a free kick. The foul was caught by VAR and confirmed in the 13th minute. Not only was Germany relegated to 10 players on the field, France was also given a penalty that Grace Geyoro converted to take a 1-0 lead. No team had ever won a Euro match from the position Germany found itself in, but it scored the equalizer 10 minutes later on a corner kick via a header from Sjoeke Nüsken. Both teams had the opportunity to break the 1-1 tie from there. France appeared to score the go-ahead goal in the 40th minute, but was called offsides. Germany got a penalty kick in the 68th minute, but France stopped it. The game went to extra time, then shootouts after a scoreless half-hour. Both teams missed only one of their first six shots, until Janina Minge scored on the seventh shot and Ann-Katrin Berger stopped Amel Majri's do-or-die shot. Spain, the only team in the field ranked higher by FIFA than Germany, now awaits, but it's going to be hard to argue Germany didn't survive a harder challenge Saturday.
