Germany prevailed 3-2 on aggregate over France in the UEFA Women\u2019s Nations League semifinals after a 2-2 full-time result in Caen on Tuesday in the second leg of the tie.<\/p>\n
France\u2019s Melvine Malard opened the scoring just three minutes into the game, while Nicole Anyomi leveled with a worldie at the 12\u2019 mark. Bayern Munich\u2019s Klara B\u00fchl blazed in a second from a tight angle shortly after half-time and nearly assisted Anyomi for a third later on, but it was disallowed after video review.<\/p>\n
Clara Mateo gave France a chance with an 89th-minute equalizer, but Les Bleues were unable to conjure up a third and so it is Germany that advances to the Final \u2014 where a strong Spain side awaits.<\/p>\n
Highlights<\/a> available on YouTube.<\/p>\n This game shouldn\u2019t have been that close<\/p>\n Germany controlled the first match without bringing their shooting boots and missed chances to kill the game off when it was well within grasp. The credit should go to France for a furious fight-back that began from the opening whistle and did not let up. Even down 3-1 on aggregate, going past the 80-minute mark, the French seemed to realize: wait a minute, we just need two goals. While the Germans, disappointed after Anyomi\u2019s disallowed brace, seemed to be hanging on for dear life.<\/p>\n France\u2019s openness and aggression should have resulted in more opportunities to counter for Germany, but instead it was the French who held the big advantage in shots (13-8), shots on target (7-2), corners (6-1), and big chances (3-0), per Sofascore<\/a>. Germany were at times so at sixes and sevens in defense that it was attacker Jule Brand scrambling back to make crucial interventions. But sloppy play in their own third kept handing the ball and the initiative back for France, who were particularly adept at moving down the right flank.<\/p>\n It was down the right that France were able to work in Kadidiatou Diani, who took a few touches to freeze makeshift left-back Giulia Gwinn and whip in a cross for the on-rushing Mateo \u2014 who had somehow ghosted past multiple German defenders at the back post.<\/p>\n Ultimately it was enough for the Germans anyway and too little too late for France. But questions will be asked, fairly, about the German substitutions and their ability to put a game to bed. If Germany was trying to defend resolutely, well, it didn\u2019t do that. If they were trying to keep France off the ball by staying on the front foot\u2026they didn\u2019t do that either.<\/p>\n Nicole Anyomi, take a bow<\/p>\n Germany had the attacking prowess today to dominate, and they needed it. Anyomi\u2019s goal was the literal definition of top drawer, a hard reset after what threatened to be a shell-shocking French opener:<\/p>\n The Eintracht Frankfurt forward is being entrusted to lead the line and made the most of her opportunity today. Her disallowed goal was equally as good if not as spectacular \u2014 after hard pressing by Sjoeke N\u00fcsken, Klara B\u00fchl got in behind and laid a perfect cutback for Anyomi in space. She would be forgiven for rushing her shot \u2014 after all, she was in the box and getting closed down fast \u2014 but took a composed touch to work it into a much better opportunity, which she buried. Pity what looks to have been a narrow offside on B\u00fchl.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not easy keeping Bayern Munich striker Lea Sch\u00fcller on the bench. But it won\u2019t be easy to take Anyomi off, either.<\/p>\n Of course, fair play to our very own Big Game B\u00fchl as well, ever the mainstay on the left. She had an absolute scorcher from what was surely an impossible angle to put Germany up 2-1.<\/p>\n Stina Johannes the lifeguard<\/p>\n It was this summer that Gotham FC shot-stopper Ann-Katrin Berger was Germany\u2019s hero<\/a> in a dramatic penalty shootout win over France at EURO 2025. Today, Johannes surely has a shout for player of the match honors in another cracker of a game. The VfL Wolfsburg keeper made five saves to help her side withstand the French barrage.<\/p>\n If Germany got through France, Spain absolutely walked over Sweden with a 5-0 aggregate win over two legs that was 4-0 heading into today. Sweden looked, well, more alive in the second one and it took a late Alexia Putellas goal to break the deadlock. But of course, the state of the tie was what it was.<\/p>\n