Women's EURO 2025 analysis: How Germany pulled together to pass France test

"We knew that we could only survive with mentality, fighting spirit and solidarity." For Christian Wück, these were the chief factors behind the against-the-odds victory that his Germany team earned against France in their UEFA Women's EURO 2025 quarter-final in Basel on Saturday.

The eight-time winners had to dig deep following Kathrin Hendrich's red card after 13 minutes, and the following analysis will explore how they frustrated France, holding on for a 1-1 draw and a penalty shoot-out victory with the help of an outstanding display by goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger.

Germany's team ethic

Irene Fuhrmann, the UEFA Technical Observer, identified first the defensive organisation and industry shown in the video above as she said: "Germany reorganised into a very compact midfield block in a 1-4-4-1 formation and, despite being a player down, they showed tremendous determination, resilience and a strong collective performance when defending off the ball."

By dropping deep, she added, "they limited the space and they were also intelligent in that, rather than pressing all over the pitch, they allowed France to dominate possession while choosing the moments to tackle or intercept."

France coach Laurent Bonadei admitted his team were guilty of rushing their passes at times, yet he paid credit to Germany when saying, "They defended very well in their half. They didn't leave any spaces. It was really hard to find solutions between the two lines."

Working together

The second clip above shows how well Germany put pressure on the passer in the central area thanks to the collaboration of the centre-backs, who coordinated their movements with the midfielders to cut off space, stop penetrative passes and provide cover behind.

As Fuhrmann explained, "They shifted together to keep the spaces between players tight. This allowed them to block passing lanes into the centre and repeatedly force the France players into back passes and switches of play, through which Germany could prevent vertical breakthroughs and buy valuable time.

"Although Germany had one player less, they still managed to create equality, if not even superiority, in the wide areas," added Fuhrmann. "Germany didn't allow themselves to be pulled out of position by France's positional rotations. They handed over or took over players moving into their zones. The wide midfielders were always ready to support their full-backs."

Individuals excel within collective

Amid the teamwork, there were brilliant individual displays, and this third video offers the example of full-back Franziska Kett, who – in her first appearance at this EURO – excelled against Delphine Cascarino. The clip displays her 1v1 defending as she shows admirable strength in using her body to hold off Clara Mateo down Germany's left.

In possession too, several individuals shone, including winger Jule Brand with her ball-carrying ability and striker Giovanna Hoffmann, who worked tirelessly to not only press France's defenders and disrupt their build-up but, moreover, to provide an outlet through her ability to hold the ball up.

Berger's key ingredients

Last but not least, Player of the Match Berger warrants a special mention – and not only for the exceptional backward save that prevented a Janina Minge own goal and her two shoot-out stops but also the leadership she brought. "It's just incredibly important that you have such personalities in the team – that you have a goalkeeper in the team who radiates calm," said Germany coach Wück.

To expand on Berger's influence, Alisa Vetterlein from the UEFA Goalkeeper Expert Group said, "She impressed us not only with her strong physical presence and body language but also her active and attentive style of play behind the back line. After the red card, she took on a central role in leading her team-mates as they reorganised and readjusted, using her position on the pitch to provide clear instructions.

"In this way, Germany were able to defend aggressively even when outnumbered. They could take risks and defend 1v1, knowing that there was a goalkeeper behind them who was always ready to defend deep or react to through balls."

Coaching considerations: Goalkeepers leading from the back

For the UEFA Goalkeeper Expert Group, Berger's performance showcased a range of key attributes: anticipation, risk management, game understanding, timing and, above all, courage. To help young goalkeepers emulate that level of display, the group suggests the following aspects for coaches to work on:

Leadership qualities

"This is often linked to experience, but with younger players it is helpful to put them in situations early on and repeatedly – including in training. Special areas would be communication on and off the pitch; a clear understanding of their role and tasks in the playing system; and video analysis and tactical training to enhance game understanding. In this way, goalkeepers can gradually develop in both training and match situations."

Triggers for positioning

"Goalkeepers need to be put into scenarios where they can learn to recognise triggers, allowing them to work on their decision-making. These triggers include the ball's location, if there's pressure or not on the player with the ball, and distances between the individual parts of the team. Integrating goalkeepers into tactical forms of play as often as possible helps to promote coordination with the individual parts of the team and should come with regular feedback."

Positive communication and collaboration

"The importance of the goalkeeper's relationship with not just the goalkeeping coach but also the head coach and assistant coach should be emphasised too. Practices should be linked to the game, both in reviewing what went well and what can be improved from the previous game, and what challenges will be faced with and without the ball in the next match."