For the second time in six days, goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was Germany’s soccer saviour as her late penalty stop in Lyon secured Olympic bronze for her team against Spain.
Berger had got the Germans through in a shootout after a goalless quarterfinal with Canada last weekend, saving two spot-kicks and then settling the tie by scoring herself in Marseille.
The 33-year-old ‘keeper, who has recently been joined at club side NJ/NY Gotham FC by her fiancee Jess Carter, was decisively called into action once more in Friday afternoon’s final when Lucia Garcia was felled in the box with just seconds of stoppage time remaining.
But Berger guessed right, diving to her left to deny Alexia Putellas and keep last year’s FIFA World Cup winners off the rostrum.
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Ann-Katrin Berger saves penalties. 🧤🚫#Paris2024 || @DFB_Frauen pic.twitter.com/V15nYaovyl
— UEFA Women's EURO 2025 (@WEURO2025) August 9, 2024
Among her celebrating teammates was Lea Schüller, who was substituted on at half-time having missed the midweek semifinal defeat to the USA with a knee injury.
The Bayern Munich midfielder was in the headlines for other reasons before kick-off after Olympic gold medal winner Lara Vadlau revealed in an interview that they had broken up.
Vadlau won the mixed dinghy competition Thursday with fellow Austrian sailor Lukas Mähr. She told radio station Ö3: “Lea is no longer my partner. Of course, I’m very proud of her and we’re still very good friends. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for her.”
Those good luck vibes were ultimately rewarded. Germany were awarded a penalty in the 65th minute when Giulia Gwinn was clattered in the box by Spain ‘keeper Cata Coll.
Gwinn elected to take the spot-kick, coolly sending Coll the wrong way. With Berger’s late save, that proved enough to give the German women’s team their fifth Olympic soccer medal in seven Games — they were champions at Rio 2016, while the rest have been bronze.
Carter was thrilled, quote-tweeting a video of the save with the line: “NOW THATS MY FIANCEEEE!!!!!!!”
Joining Berger and Schüller as Team LGBTQ representatives in their squad were Felicitas Rauch, who played the full game at left-back and defended stoutly, and Sara Doorsoun, who replaced Gwinn in stoppage time.
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Team LGBTQ at the 2024 Paris Summer Games
The list of out gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and nonbinary Olympians will continue to grow.
By Outsports | June 28, 2024
For the Spanish women’s team, which was making its Olympic tournament debut, four of the six publicly out LGBTQ players in their squad started — Coll, Putellas, Teresa Abelleira and Jenni Hermoso. Irene Paredes, who scored in the semifinal defeat to Brazil before being subbed off, was absent, along with Alba Redondo.
The gold-medal match will be decided on Saturday when the USA take on the Brazilians at the Parc des Princes.