Hurt Grings sets sights on quarters

A thick tape was wrapped around the left knee of Germany striker Inka Grings after the 1-0 defeat of Iceland, a result of an injury suffered in scoring the goal that ensured the holders ended UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ Group B with nine points.

Goal
Grings, top scorer in the 2005 finals when Germany secured a fourth straight title, had come on at the break and five minutes later stretched to claim her second goal in Finland, giving her the joint lead in the race for the adidas Golden Boot award. However, as the ball went in she collided with Iceland goalkeeper Gudbjörg Gunnarsdóttir, was soon withdrawn and may struggle to make Friday's last-eight tie in Lahti.

'Heavy pain'
"I have to say it was a strong collision and I feel a heavy pain in my knee right now," Grings said. "We just have to wait and see." Having been among the substitutes for the first half with Germany already through, Grings had an immediate impact after replacing Birgit Prinz, hitting the post before she eventually scored. "I understand that I didn't play from the beginning, as other players also performed well in the training and should get rewarded sometimes," the FCR 2001 Duisburg forward said. "It's normal in a tournament like that to give players a rest."

Prinz injury
Germany's squad could be severly tested in the latter stages of the competition, with Prinz emerging as another injury concern on Monday. The captain, 30, pulled up with an ankle injury in training, but both she and Grings are expected to be fit again to face the Group C runners-up; Sweden, England or Italy. Despite the various knocks, Grings remains in upbeat mood, saying: "We won the group in fine style, that was our first target and we showed that we want to win the championship. We are well prepared, but we still have to improve if we want to win the title." Who does she want to meet? "I would like to play Sweden, as Scandinavian teams suit us quite well, but I would also fancy playing Italy as I haven't met them for quite a while," she added. "But the opponents don't matter, it will be a very interesting quarter-final."

Müller option
Should she miss that game, Martina Müller could be one option having made her tournament bow in place of Grings and earned the Carlsberg Player of the Match award. "I didn't score, so I can't be pleased with my performance," Müller told uefa.com. "[Hitting the bar] was bad luck, sometimes there was also a certain lack of concentration ... We have to continue working on our finishing and our passing game. As long as our passes come low and quick, nobody can stop us."