The relief was clear for all to see at the end. After the final whistle in Brasília the players in the team coached by Horst Hrubesch embraced each other and celebrated making it through to the last four. In spite of the 4-0 result it was a tough game for the Germany Olympic team against Portugal. The floodgates opened just before half-time when Serge Gnabry scored. Lars Bender won the ball with his usual determined approach, Julian Brandt picked out the Arsenal player and Gnabry netted with aplomb.
Seven assists from Brandt
And Brandt continued to shine on the right wing: Again and again he caused problems in the opposition penalty area with some accurate assists and two efforts on goal. Matthias Ginter made it 2-0 from a Brandt corner on 58 minutes. And it got even better: Davie Selke added a third on 75 minutes and Brandt again provided another assist for substitute Philipp Max to round off the scoring on 84 minutes. That was the seventh assist from the blond striker at this Olympic tournament.
Lars Bender was not on the pitch at that point. Up to 71 minutes he gave his all as the driving force in an attacking line of four in the new 4-1-4-1 system before Hrubesch granted him an early finish to his shift. Germany are next in action in the semi-final on Wednesday (18.00 CET). Nigeria or Denmark will be the opponents in Sao Paulo. Another victory would see Germany win silver at least.
Bayer 04 Women end their record-breaking season away at Wolfsburg on Sunday (kick-off: 2pm CEST). Although the Werkself know they will finish the campaign in fourth for their best-ever finish, head coach Roberto Pätzold has called on his team to produce one final big result.
Show moreBayer 04 Women will be without Caroline Kehrer and Charlotte Voll for the remainder of the season. Striker Kehrer suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee during training, while goalkeeper Voll tore the syndesmosis in her right foot.
Show moreBayer 04 are again strongly represented in this year's Bundesliga Team of the Season from the games manufacturer EA Sports. Five Werkself players have been voted into the top XI for the 2024/25 season, a duo from the Bayer 04 Women's team are in the female Bundesliga TOTS. Bayer 04 were well represented last season with six male players in the top eleven, the most players from one club.
Show moreA few weeks ago Borussia Dortmund were marooned in mid-table mediocrity in the Bundesliga. Then the Black and Yellows started a run that overcame all comers. And suddenly a Champions League spot was again within reach. BVB will be looking to take the next step towards the big target at the BayArena on Sunday, 11 May (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). Coach Niko Kovac has almost his full squad available. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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