Basel, July 20 (IANS) Ann-Katrin Berger was Germany’s penalty shoot-out star as they beat France on penalties with ten players to set up a last-four tie with Spain in Zurich on Wednesday.

A much-changed Germany side were down to ten players and behind within 15 minutes as Kathrin Hendrich was dismissed for conceding a penalty scored by Grace Geyoro.

Sjoeke Nusken soon levelled with a header, but in the second half had her own spot-kick kept out by Pauline Peyraud-Magnin. Germany held out for penalties and Berger converted one and saved two to earn her team a record 11th Women’s EURO semi-final – three years on from beating France at that stage, UEFA reports.

Germany looked to take the game to France with Jule Brand having an early chance. However, Hendrich was given a straight red card for pulling Mbock Bathy’s hair and Geyoro converted the penalty despite Berger getting a hand to it.

That meant another Germany defensive change, with Sophia Kleinherne on as their latest right-back, Linder sacrificed and Minge moved back as Christian Wuck deployed a 4-2-3 formation, but France were looking to make their extra player count. So it was out of the blue when Germany equalised, Nusken applying a flicked header at the near post to Klara Buhl corner.

Germany’s fans were in full voice, even more so when Berger saved a curling free-kick from Delphine Cascarino. Having started on the left, Cascarino was back on her familiar right and again looking France’s main source of danger, but Germany’s reshuffled defence were operating with supreme determination.

The second half began in a similar manner, France dominating the ball but Germany fired up and willing to counter. Cascarino was sent clear in the Germany half just before the hour mark but Berger, initially out of goal, scrambled back in time to make a diving save. From the resultant corner, Berger then did excellently to deny Marie-Antoinette Katoto and not long after she kept out a Diani effort following more good work by Cascarino.

France introduced Baltimore, but against the run of play Germany had a penalty when Selma Bacha brought down Brand, only for Peyraud-Magnin to save Nüsken’s spot-kick. Just before the 90-minute mark a deep Bacha corner was volleyed on goal by Elisa De Almeida but Berger was equal to it.

That meant extra time, during which Schüller was introduced, Germany’s first substitution since the early arrival of Kleinherne. What did not change was their tireless running to attempt to neutralise France’s one-player advantage.

Also unaltered was Berger’s determination to keep the ball out of the net, with an incredible backward diving save at full stretch when it seemed a defensive header from Minge would loop in. Baltimore, by sheer determination, was able to fashion a cross but substitute Melvine Malard’s header could not beat Berger.

As extra time ran out, Malard tried her luck from distance but the shot hit the bar and Germany went to their first Women’s EURO penalty shoot-out since 1993. Berger, something of a shoot-out specialist, saved France’s first kick from substitute Amel Majri, but Germany’s fourth effort from newly-introduced Sara Dabritz clipped the top of the bar.

Berger was then among the scorers as it went to sudden death, and she was the hero once again as she dived to stop France’s seventh kick by Alice Sombath.

–IANS

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