Germany secured their berth at EURO 2022 without even kicking a ball. Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s side suddenly found themselves without any opponents as the international break draws to an end, after their friendly against England in Wiesbaden had to be cancelled due to a positive COVID-19 test among the visitors’ backroom staff. Friederike Abt, Kathrin Hendrich, Svenja Huth, Lena Oberdorf, Felicitas Rauch and Pia-Sophie Wolter therefore all returned to Wolfsburg from the DFB camp in Wiesbaden as early as Monday. Alexandra Popp and Sara Doorsoun meanwhile had been left out of the squad due to injury.
Other She-Wolves also managed to secure their berth for the European Championships, which have had to be pushed back a year due to the pandemic.
Top spot secured
The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are among the other countries to have booked their tickets for England with the help of VfL Wolfsburg Women. The Dutch continued their winning run with two comfortable victories – 7-0 at home to Estonia and 6-0 in Kosovo. After nine of ten group matches, Dominique Janssen, Shanice van de Sanden and their team-mates now have an unassailable lead at the top of Group A.
Ingrid Engen and Karina Saevik’s Norway side had their match in Belarus called off due to the current Coronavirus situation. The She-Wolves duo did however get to play in Wales and helped their side to a 1-0 win, which rubberstamped their ticket to the European Championship. Sweden also secured qualification, despite missing Fridolina Rolfö due to injury. Wins over Latvia (7-0) and Iceland (2-0) were enough for the side that finished third in the 2019 World Cup to cement their spot with one game to go, away to Slovakia in December.
Poland leading the way
In Group D, Poland – with goalkeeper and captain Katarzyna Kiedrzynek – leapt to the top of the table on the back of a pair of 3-0 wins, at home to Azerbaijan and away to Moldova. Spain are just a point behind them, however, with two games in hand. Those teams will meet on 1 December in Madrid in what is a must-win match for the Poles, who will once again have to do without the injured Ewa Pajor.
