Match Awards from Germany’s dramatic penalty shootout win over France at EURO 2025

Photo by Molly Darlington - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

Jersey Swap: Grace Geyoro

France’s game ran down the left flank more, with midfielder Sakina Karchaoui and left-back Selma Bacha as two of the most active and involved Les Bleues players on the day. O.J. Francois at the center of midfield also deserves a shout. However, all of France’s 75% possession over 120 minutes truly did not amount to much. Paris Saint-Germain’s Geyoro tucked home a penalty for the only French goal and contributed a number of crisp passes as well.

Der Kaiser: Franziska Kett

The 20-year-old Bayern Munich left-back started all of

one game in the last Frauen-Bundesliga campaign and did not make a single appearance at the EUROs prior to her start on Saturday. She turned in an outstanding and composed performance, holding down the left flank that Sarai Linder vacated in order to fill in at right-back. Now that Linder is out, potentially for the rest of the tournament, Kett will need to make this position her own. Her defensive work stood out on Saturday, especially as she is traditionally played further up on the pitch.

Fußballgott: Sjoeke Nüsken

We’ll give another shout out to Eintracht Frankfurt’s Elisa Senß for her crunching tackles and physical play in the German midfield, all while avoiding a single booking. Nüsken, her pivot partner, was not so lucky as her second yellow card means she will now miss Wednesday’s semifinal against Spain. Germany will need to replace the fiery attitude she brings. Nüsken was Sjoeke-on-the-spot when her team needed her most, clawing back the all-important equalizer with a pinpoint flicked-on header on a corner.

She had the chance to give Germany a late lead that France did not look likely to respond to, but saw her penalty saved. Still, it was on target, which is more than we can say for a lot of the spot kicks at these EUROs — keeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin just guessed the right way.

Der Bomber: Jule Brand

Four spots are technically in contention for this award, but Wolfsburg-to-OL winger Jule Brand and Bayern’s Klara Bühl have been owning the der Bomber this tournament. The German pair are one of the most exciting wing duos to watch at the EUROs. Against France, Bühl supplied the excellent near-post corner delivery for Nüsken’s goal but Brand really stole the show with her unbelievable defensive workrate — an astonishing 31 ground duels, 15 won (via sofascore) to nearly match the entirety of the defensive line, starters and subs, put together, while also keeping the German attacking threat alive by driving forward with regularity on the break. Her play up and down the pitch was crucial to the result.

Meisterin of the Match: Ann-Katrin Berger

Gotham FC keeper Ann-Katrin Berger: the hero Germany needed.

Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Berger is a shot-stopper par excellence and has she ever shown it in this tournament. AKB’s backpedaling, body-sacrificing save of a goal-bound deflection from Janina Minge surely goes down as the save of the tournament. On top of that, her nine saves and authoritative presence steadied Germany in the impossible situation of going a woman down early against one of the tournament’s most lethal attacking teams. Germany’s defense did the hard work up the field, and that job was made easier knowing they had a rock at the back — Berger claiming the ball and falling to the ground for good measure and a few more ticks off the clock being the theme of the day.

Then came the penalty shootout. There might not be a keeper you’d rather face less at the EUROs than Berger, who will stand tall, stolid and stoic, arms folded behind her back while staring you down and calmly picking her direction — and no, she didn’t even check her bottle. She did it all before, last summer against Spain at the Olympics and she’ll do it again. Against France, she saved the first and the last penalty and stepped up to bury her own in the middle. At the end she dropped to her knees and embraced her onrushing teammates, an iconic image from an iconic player.

Wir schauen auf die Viertelfinals, zollen den Gastgeberinnen Respekt, würdigen den Kraftakt der DFB-Elf. Kein Verständnis haben wir für die Kommunikation rund um die Rote Karte. Mit großer Wertschätzung geht der Kronenkranich an Ann-Katrin Berger. zur Folge derfussballpodcast.de/88-shes-all-...

— Becker & Pfeiffer - Der Fußballpodcast (@derfussballpodcast.de) 2025-07-21T19:56:20.851Z

That’s our AKB. We’re glad to have her.

A Group of Four Flying Angels, by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 18th c, by Charlotte Wilson

— ArtButMakeItSports (@artbutmakeitsports.bsky.social) 2025-07-19T22:35:06.314Z

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