Women’s Euro 2025 | Another German national team earns “Per Mertesacker Ice Baths” after grueling quarterfinal | OneFootball

The German women’s national team’s incredible PSO win over France in the Women’s European Championship quarterfinals on Saturday night could not have been more improbable. Reduced to ten players following Kathrin Hendrich’s red card in the 13th-minute, the DFB-Frauen had to dig as deep as possible. In the end, Christian Wück’s team overcame 117 minutes of shorthanded football and a nerve-wracking penalty shootout to advance to the semis.

To the surprise of literally no one, Bundestrainer Wück expressed his exhaustion in the most German way possible. For the second time in one single summer, it was time for a German national team footballing professional to reference the famous 2014 Per Mertesacker line after a grueling 120 minute victory in a tournament quarterfinal.

“I think we need three days of ice baths and rest,” Wück told ZDF afterwards. “and then we’ll see if we can field eleven players against Spain [in the semi-finals on Wednesday. I’m exhausted.”

Wück declined to comment directly on the Hendrich incident, perhaps wisely so as no one needed any bizarre quotes about the German defender’s pull of French captain Griedge Mbock Bathy’s ponytail in the box in the 12th-minute. Wück instead merely expressed pride that the team did not concede another goal and that Sjoeke Nüsken was able to pull the equalizer back from a well-rehearsed corner variant ten minutes after France took the lead from the spot.

“That went as planned,” Wück said of Nüsken’s 25th-minute equalizer, “It was precisely the variant we wished to execute.“

Wück not only lost Henrich to a sending off in the 13th, but also injured right back Sarai Linder (who had been off the pitch getting treatment for most of the opening quarter-of-an-hour) to injury shortly thereafter. It was such that he couldn’t even contemplate bringing on a sub until deep until the first added period of extra time.

“We wouldn’t have made it if just one player had broken down,” Wück emphasized. “Thankfully, none of them did. That’s why I’m so proud of this team.”

GGFN | Peter Weis