On the pitch they celebrated exuberantly with the fans, and in the catacombs of the arena in Hanover the national players then reported on the scene that could cost Lena Oberdorf the Olympic Games.
“She screamed in pain. She said it made a cracking noise, but of course that doesn’t always mean something,” said Kathrin Hendrich after the victory over Austria.
The 4-0 (2-0) win in the last European Championship qualifier in front of 43,953 spectators was a successful Olympic dress rehearsal. The tournament begins on July 25 in Marseille against World Cup fourth-place finisher Australia. Then it may be without Oberdorf, who was strong on Tuesday, who was left lying down with pain in her right knee after a tackle and had to be substituted.
“At the moment, the negative impact is overwhelming. It’s a terrible wait for the diagnosis,” said Giulia Gwinn, who led the team onto the field as captain in the absence of the injured Alexandra Popp. National coach Horst Hrubesch still hopes “that it is not that bad,” but has already admitted that Oberdorf’s absence in France would “hurt us like hell, she is an important factor.”
Oberdorf, who will play for Bayern Munich next season, returned to the team against Austria after a yellow card suspension.
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However, after the duel with Frankfurt’s Barbara Dunst, the 22-year-old limped off the field in the 71st minute, supported by two coaches. The match was of no sporting significance, as Germany had already qualified for the 2025 European Championship in Switzerland.
“Especially when it’s the knee, there’s no positive news,” said Gwinn, who herself has had bitter experiences with cruciate ligament tears: “We’ll keep our fingers crossed and send all our strength to her. It would be a bitter loss for us on and off the field.”
Source: www.sport.de
