“I just love the moment,” says Ann-Katrin Berger, as she enthusiastically discusses her love of penalty shootouts. “It’s one of the best parts of being a goalkeeper – you can only look good!”
Less than 30 minutes before her post-match chat with FIFA, Berger had been the central figure in a dramatic Germany victory over Canada. The Olympic quarter-final tie finished goalless, with penalties required to determine who would progress to face USA in the last four.
Berger was the star of the show in the shootout – brilliantly saving from Ashley Lawrence and Adriana Leon, before stepping up to slot in the winning kick herself.
“I’ve always liked to shoot penalties,” she added. “If I have nothing to do in training, sometimes I’ll take a few. It’s quite a lot of fun. Not only the strikers and midfielders can score, the goalkeepers can too!
“Before taking this one [against Canada] I was surprised that I was able to calm myself down. I didn’t feel any pressure. I was surprised it was that easy for me.”
Germany defender Kathrin Hendrich admitted she didn’t expect to see Berger step up to take the crucial fifth spot-kick. She explained, however, why the goalkeeper’s temperament made her a perfect candidate for such a high-stakes situation.
“I saw her in the goal, then she was in front of the goal! I’d never seen her take one in a game before! But she is such a relaxed person, I knew she would score. It was a very tough game, but when it went to the shootout, I knew we had a great goalkeeper. It gave us confidence – and she got us the victory.”
Hendrich also paid tribute to Berger’s influence off the field.
“Ann-Katrin is just a very special character,” added the Wolfsburg full-back. “She is very calm but has a lot of humour too. She cares about everybody – she is always thinking about other people ahead of herself. And, of course, she is a fantastic footballer.”
Berger’s heroics have kept Germany’s title hopes alive at Paris 2024 – but the goalkeeper insists improvements will be needed if they are to overcome USA and reach the gold medal match. The Americans proved too strong when the teams met in the Paris 2024 group stage, running out 4-1 winners in Marseille.
“We need to be better than the last game, that’s for sure,” said Berger. “We have to focus on taking our goalscoring opportunities. That was the worst part of the first game against the US. We know they have a really good attack, but we believe we can exploit them [with our attacks] as well.”
Giulia Gwinn believes nothing less than a complete performance will be enough for victory – but is convinced Germany possess the collective quality and mentality to turn the tables on Emma Hayes’ side.
“Offensively, they are so strong,” said the Bayern Munich ace. “We have to defend really well and use our chances offensively.
“You saw in the group stage, they scored four goals against us and for us it’s like… We want to give it back [to them]! We are collectively strong – and if we take our chances, we’re dangerous for every opponent.
“We are super happy after beating Canada. It gives us confidence because after 120 minutes and a big fight, we got through. We’re excited about what’s to come. We know it will be tough against the US, but we will be ready for everything.”
