'Never train for second place': Germany believe in women's Euro title

Record champions Germany firmly believe they can win women's Euro 2025 despite a modest group stage, forward Giovanna Hoffmann said on Thursday.

Germany are underdogs in their quarter-final against France on Saturday but Hoffmann cited the late German team great Doris Fitschen who used to say: "Never train for second place."

Hoffmann told reporters it is about winning matches, "regardless of how" this is achieved, and that "you have to be hell-bent on getting your way."

Germany beat Poland and Denmark in their first two matches but then suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat against Sweden. France won all their games, against title holders England, 2017 champions the Netherlands and Wales.

"Everyone is aware that we are facing a top nation in France," forward Klara Bühl said, adding that playing physical could be a key to success.

"We are still here to the next three games as well," Bühl said, speaking of "a belief has been developed that we can achieve something here.

"Every player has that in her. That's why want to take the first step on Saturday and reach the semi-finals," Bühl said.

Another forward, Lea Schüller, has meanwhile said she doesn't want to be compared to former captain Alexandra Popp who retired from the team last year.

"I will never replace an Alexandra Popp. I'm not the captain type, I'm simply not like Poppi," she said.

But she accepted that she has an important role in the team: "I have the third most international caps, so I really am one of the older players. That's simply what has changed. I have to pass on my experience, I have to take on responsibility."

Schüller has scored two goals in the competition so far, hopes to improve that tally and help her team reach the semi-finals.

"We want to bring Lea into the game, she's an incredibly important player who scores goals with very few touches," midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken said.

"If we can improve the quality of our crosses and set Lea up better, then we hope she'll score more goals," she added.

Popp herself believes that Schüller brings everything to the table.

"She's extremely quick - I'm not -, two-footed and also strong with her header. With her speed, she has a tendency to run deep," she said on the Copa TS podcast.

She added that she's happy that she can basically say "I'm gone, but there's someone there."

Popp won two Olympic medals with Germany: gold at Rio 2016 and bronze last summer in Paris. At club level, she won the Champions League three times, plus titles in the Bundesliga and German Cup.