"It feels like a huge relief," said captain Antje Döll on ZDF. Coach Markus Gaugisch was at the same time "absolutely thrilled for the team. Many of these players have been through tough times, but they never stopped believing. It’s just amazing that we made it."
10,522 fans celebrated the German team with wild enthusiasm. Even when Brazil closed the gap to just three goals (25-22) eight minutes from the end, the German women kept their cool. Captain Antje Döll was leading goalscorer for the Germans with six goals, while Emily Vogel added five. In goal, Katharina Filter delivered a stellar second-half performance.
The convincing display against Brazil could give the team a big boost heading into Rotterdam. In the Dutch port, the German squad now has the chance to cap off their Christmas fairytale with their first World Championship medal since winning the bronze medals in 2007. "They’re playing really well and getting better with every game," said men’s national coach Alfred Gislason on ZDF. "I actually think they have a real chance to go even further."
After seven convincing wins in seven tournament matches, Germany will face either defending champions France or World Championship bronze medalists Denmark in Friday’s semifinal. The medals will be decided on Sunday.
Fired up by the electric atmosphere and perfectly prepared for the opposition led by star playmaker Bruna de Paula, the home side got off to a flying start. Emily Vogel led the way, scoring two quick goals to make it 3-1 (3rd minute).
"Fascinated" and "blown away"
Germany continued to pull away as the game went on. At the back, the defense anchored by Aimée von Pereira once again showed the agility and toughness that has made them so feared at this tournament. Up front, Vogel and her teammates remained clinical in front of goal. When Viola Leuchter scored her third to make it 8-3 (12th minute), Brazil was forced to call their first timeout.
"Don’t let up for a second," captain Antje Döll urged her teammates and led by example herself. Even when Brazil briefly closed the gap to 9-7 (16th minute), the German team stayed composed and, thanks to four goals from Döll, pulled away again to make it 14-9 (26th minute) before the interval.
"I’m fascinated and blown away by this team. It’s just so much fun to watch," said German team manager Anja Althaus on ZDF. "We just have to keep going like this."
And that’s exactly what they did. Katharina Filter, in particular, hit top form. With the goalkeeper shutting up shop for a long spell, Germany could even afford a few lapses in attack and still stretched their lead to 23-15 (43rd minute). Not even a brief dip in form could knock the German women off their course for the first World Championship semi-final in 17 years.