In front of over ten thousand home fans, Germany secured a place in the semifinals. After a fantastic first half, the Germans controlled the game and beat Brazil 30–23.
18-year wait over
2007 was the last time Germany reached a World Championship semifinal. Now the long wait is over, and it was never really in doubt against Brazil. Germany put their foot down immediately, jumping out to a big first-half lead. Offensively, they found all kinds of ways to score, and defensively Katharina Filter was a wall in goal. Brazil never really managed to recover, and Germany could quite comfortably secure their first semifinal in 18 years.
Homecrowd
It was an incredible atmosphere in the Westfalenhalle, and it clearly affected the game. The energy and intensity Germany played with in the first half were obviously inspired by the crowd, and at the same time it’s a tough environment for any opponent to handle. Germany will have help from their home fans in the semifinal, and maybe the “eighth man” can be the X-factor that carries them all the way to the final.
Final possible?
Germany will face either Denmark or France in the semifinals. Player for player, they will go in as underdogs against both sides, but it would be foolish to count the Germans out. Denmark and France should be a close battle, and whoever makes it through will have had one day less rest than Germany. The feeling is that Germany has another level to reach in this tournament, and with the home crowd behind them, a final seems like a real possibility.