German fans mock their team after their victory over Vietnam

Germany's difficult performance and only narrow victory in the friendly match against Vietnam on the evening of June 24 caused much controversy among German public opinion.

Germany is currently ranked second in FIFA, 30 places higher than Vietnam. They have won the World Cup twice in 2003 and 2007, won the Olympic gold medal in 2016 and won the Euro eight times. And that advantage was quickly confirmed by Germany with the opening goal in the 3rd minute of the match at Bieberer Berg Stadium.

However, the lack of some key players made it difficult for Germany to face Vietnam's pressing, persistent and bold counter-attacking style of play. Throughout the match, Germany held the ball for over 70% of the time, shot 23 times but only six times on target. In the 80th minute, taking advantage of a chaotic situation in Vietnam's penalty area, they scored their second goal. On the contrary, Vietnam played a dangerous defensive counter-attack, even creating more dangerous opportunities. Notable were the shots of Hai Yen, Duong Van, Vu Hoa, and Tuyet Dung. In the second half's injury time, Thanh Nha sprinted from home, defeating goalkeeper Merle Frohms in a one-on-one situation.

The German coach took notes after Thanh Nha's goal. Photo: Twitter/@lea_mrth — The German coach took notes after Thanh Nha's goal. Photo: *Twitter/@lea_mrth*

After conceding the goal, coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg sat silently, taking out a pen and paper to take notes. On Twitter , the account @lea_mrth commented: "Who did she cross off the list?".

Speaking at a press conference after the match, coach Voss-Tecklenburg admitted that this match is not only important for choosing the team, but also deciding which players will be brought to the World Cup.

Another fan said that midfielder Melanie Leupolz - who just won the Premier League with Chelsea - made a mistake in this situation when she did not close in time, allowing Vietnam to counterattack. In addition to Leupolz, two other German players who missed Thanh Nha in this situation were Sjoeke Nusken, who just signed a contract with Chelsea, and Marina Hereging, a Champions League runner-up.

@Zwen_NewZ commented: "Of course, you can say Germany conceded because they pushed forward to find another goal, but it was a good finish. Vietnam had an extraordinary and sparkling performance in their position. That is remarkable."

In the eight editions since 1991, Germany have won the Women's World Cup twice in a row, in 2003 and 2007, only the United States have won four times. However, their form heading into this year's World Cup, which kicks off in less than a month, has left fans concerned.

"After the game, I was expecting comments like: But we usually play well in tournaments," commented @Wiesel_Flink . Another wrote: "Why are the center-backs leaving a 35m gap in front of the goal like that? And where are the midfielders? That's still something I can't explain."

Besides the criticism of the home team, many German fans were impressed with Vietnam's performance. On his personal page, journalist of Deutsche Welle Sports Ronit Borpujari commented: "This match could have gone in a different direction if it weren't for Merle Frohms' heroic saves. Hats off to Vietnam. A good match."

@creative_chaos5 wrote: "This Vietnamese team seems hard to defeat."

Germany have one more friendly match against Zambia on July 7 before going to Australia for the 2023 World Cup. In the group stage, they will meet Morocco, Colombia and South Korea.

Vinh San

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