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Germany eye revenge in Nations League showdown with Spain | The Express Tribune
Germany host Spain in the first leg of their Nations League final in Kaiserslautern on Friday. Photo: AFP
BERLIN:
Germany head into their Women’s Nations League final against Spain this weekend with a “score to settle”, months after their painful extra-time elimination in the Euro 2025 semi-finals.
Germany play host to the reigning world champions in Friday’s first leg in Kaiserslautern, with the return match in Madrid on December 2.
Aitana Bonmati’s 113rd-minute strike in Zurich in July sent the Germans packing and robbed them of a chance to avenge their 2-1 extra-time Euro 2022 defeat by eventual winners England.
Four months on, revenge is again in the air for Christian Wueck’s side, along with a chance to see how they stack up against the world’s best.
Manchester City midfielder Rebecca Knaak was on the pitch in July and said the Germans would use the disappointment of the defeat as motivation.
“We definitely want to show we can beat Spain. The defeat still hurts,” Knaak said on Tuesday.
“We’ve learned our lessons from our last encounter and we know what we need to work on. There’s definitely a score to settle and now we have a chance to do better across two games.”
The most successful European team in women’s football history, Germany have lost their advantage in recent years as other nations drastically improved.
Eight-time European champions and twice World Cup winners, Germany’s last major honour came a decade ago, with a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Missing players
Wueck took over after the 2024 Olympics and has steadied the ship despite retirements and a wave of injuries.
Long-time striker Alexandra Popp and goalkeeper Merle Frohms stepped down from international duty last year, while stars Giulia Gwinn, Lena Oberdorf and Sarai Linder have all missed out with serious injuries.
Oberdorf will be out for several months after tearing her ACL again in October, but Gwinn is back from a ligament strain and will captain the side against Spain.
Germany welcomed back goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger on Wednesday. Berger arrived in camp late after winning the NWSL championship with Gotham FC and enjoying the victory parade in New York.
The 52-year-old Wueck avoided talk of revenge but said his team would relish the chance to test themselves against the World Cup holders, calling Spain “the best team in Europe”.
“We’re incredibly excited for these two games and we’re also incredibly excited to be playing Spain, because we know we will not only be challenged, but that it will truly require an absolute top performance just to have a chance,” said Wueck.
“But I do believe we have the potential to win these games.”
Lyon midfielder Jule Brand agreed, saying a victory would “send a message to other opponents and boost confidence”.
Brand said the atmosphere at Kaiserslautern’s 47,000-seat Fritz Walter Stadion, which sits high on the Betzenberg hill in the middle of town, could be crucial on Friday.
“Grandma, grandpa, everyone was a Kaiserslautern fan,” the 23-year-old said, having attended matches at the historic stadium as a child.
Despite the advantage of playing the second leg — and potentially extra time and penalties — at home, Spain promised to attack.
“I’m not playing for a draw,” said Spain coach Sonia Bermudez. “I would like to win it there, with hopefully lots of goals.
“Germany are a fantastic team. We have the utmost respect for them and we are all very aware that what lies ahead will be difficult.”
The Commanders return from their bye week searching for their first victory since Oct. 5. It won’t be easy against the Broncos, who have won eight straight.
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Ruben Amorim has said that Manchester United are “stealing” set-piece routines from other clubs after goals from two free-kicks helped earn a valuable 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
United came from behind at Selhurst Park thanks to second-half goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount, both of which came from Bruno Fernandes set plays.
Amorim’s team have now scored 10 Premier League goals from set-pieces this season — joint most with table-toppers Arsenal.
“We work a lot,” Amorim said when asked about United’s improvement at set-pieces.
“We have more time to work, we work a lot and we learn a lot in England.
“I think you are used to seeing that, but when you come for the Premier League you learn a lot with other teams how to do it and we are stealing a lot of things to score goals.”
United looked destined for another set-back following Monday’s defeat to 10-man Everton when Crystal Palace went in at half-time 1-0 up thanks to a retaken penalty from Jean-Philippe Mateta.
But there was marked improvement in their performance after the break as Amorim’s team recorded just their second league win away from home since March.
“I just said to the players we need to be more alive and you can feel that,” Amorim said.
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“So if you are more alive, you are in more places, you are near the ball more often. I think everyone did that.
“But we also need to understand that the opponent was tired also in the second half.
“And when you increase the rhythm and the opponent gets tired a little bit, suffers right away a goal, you felt that we had the control of the game and that’s it.”
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The Carolina Panthers created havoc for the Los Angeles Rams and received a boost from the sloppy weather as they defeated the best team in the NFC, 31-28.
Carolina notched its seventh win of the year. It’s the first time they have won at least seven games since the 2022 season when Matt Rhule, and eventually Steve Wilks, were at the helm. The Panthers also snapped the Rams’ six-game winning streak.
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Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young runs against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina (Rusty Jones/AP Photo)
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford entered the game as the NFL MVP favorite. It seemed like he was going to have a big game as he led the team down for a touchdown on the opening drive. At the time, it was his 28th touchdown pass without an interception, which broke an NFL record.
The good vibes didn’t last long as Stafford threw an interception on his next drive and later had a pick six to Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson. The Panthers’ defense then forced Stafford to fumble the ball on the Rams’ final drive, which sunk any hopes of them coming back to force overtime or win the game.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was 15-of-20 with 206 passing yards and three touchdown passes. He found rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan for a 43-yard go-ahead touchdown with 6:34 left in the game. It was McMillan’s only catch of the game.
Carolina Panthers safety Nick Scott celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/AP Photo)
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Carolina’s Jalen Coker had four catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Running back Chuba Hubbard had two catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. He also added 83 yards on the ground on 17 carries.
Stafford finished 18-of-28 with 243 passing yards and two touchdown passes. Both touchdowns were to Davante Adams, who finished with four catches for 58 yards.
The Panthers’ (7-6) win kept them in contention for the NFC South lead. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a higher winning percentage after their win over the Arizona Cardinals, moving to 7-5.
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The Rams’ grip on the conference was loosened. The loss meant the Chicago Bears have the best record in the NFC. Chicago defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday.
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