Cunning and confident, Lena Oberdorf exemplifies how Germany reached the Euro 2022 final

When Germany arrived in England forward of the 2022 European Championships, there have been acquainted questions across the eight-time champions. However Germany, with a resolute staff spirit and a resilient midfield, have impressed en path to Sunday’s file (watch LIVE at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+).

Though most gamers within the squad would routinely choose to reward the staff ethic as an entire relatively than their particular person contributions, few gamers have stood out like midfield lynchpin Lena Oberdorf. Able to advancing into the No. 10 function or dropping into the No. 6, the versatile Oberdorf has through the years performed most roles on the pitch, even discovering herself between the sticks previously.

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A troublesome tackler with a nostril for hazard, Oberdorf’s first senior outing was with the German nationwide staff of their run as much as the 2019 World Cup — the Gevelsberg native was handed her debut at 17, two months earlier than making her World Cup bow, changing into the sixth-youngest participant to characterize Germany on the greatest match in ladies’s soccer.

With Germany’s Achilles heel having lengthy been their again line (notably the centre-back positions), Oberdorf’s early run within the staff was within the backline. But, for all of the plaudits she acquired, it was clear she wasn’t being utilised to the most effective of her talents. In time, Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg moved the teenager ahead, deploying her into the center of the park the place she featured for SGS Essen earlier than her transfer to German champions, VfL Wolfsburg.

At Wolfsburg, Oberdorf has solely refined her recreation and continues to belie her relative youth — as she remarked after Germany’s first recreation on the Euros: “I do not recognise that I am 20. I really feel like after I’m on the pitch, everyone sees me as like a 28-year-old participant.”

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Enjoying a starring function in her second main match with a rising cache of staff and particular person accolades, it’s definitely straightforward to overlook that Oberdorf is simply 20, however as she says: “I simply overlook about my age, simply play, simply have enjoyable, simply get into the duels as a result of that is what I can do the most effective.”

Certainly, take-ons and tackling are the place the midfielder shines, however relatively than merely throwing her physique into challenges and sliding alongside the grass with studs raised, the midfielder is adept as studying the play and timing her interventions. She could lead the match in bookings — three yellow playing cards in 354 minutes this month, the fruits of her back-to-back yellows within the group stage which means she sat out Germany’s win over Finland — however she is much from a rash participant.

Coming into the ultimate, Oberdorf ranks third on the match for profitable duels with 69 and is tied for second with 19 tackles, which is not too unhealthy for her tally of playing cards, not least given she grew up watching Sergio Ramos clips on-line, the Spanish defender additionally by no means removed from the referee’s e book.

Lena Oberdorf is a defensive midfielder, not a striker, however the 20-year-old simply could be Germany’s most vital participant in Sunday’s Euro 2022 ultimate. Alexander Scheuber/Getty Photographs

Having grown up enjoying soccer within the backyard alongside her father and brother — Tim, who gamers for Fortuna Düsseldorf within the 2. Bundesliga — Oberdorf additionally spent enjoying on boys groups. Standing at 5-foot-9 and constructed to be simply muscular sufficient, the midfielder cuts an imposing determine within the ladies’s recreation — however on a staff with teenage boys, she quick realized she wanted to be good in addition to robust. This may be seen in her challenges, the 20-year-old figuring out when to step in and get her physique between the opposing participant and the ball, or when to stretch out a leg to swat the ball away with a flick of her heel.

In addition to an unerring staff mentality this summer time from Germany, we have seen a calmness about how the staff has gone about their duties on the pitch. As defined by ahead Svenja Huth, a teammate of Oberdorf’s at Wolfsburg: “It has been vital all through the entire match that we have had a great mixture of skilled gamers that deliver a sure ease.”

With a squad that’s cut up between younger and outdated, with ten gamers aged 24 or youthful and 6 of their 30s, it could be straightforward to simply consider a centurion like Alex Popp as one of many skilled gamers, but it could be fallacious to low cost the the calmness from the likes of Oberdorf or Giulia Gwinn, each of whom are at their second senior tournaments.

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It is when the staff is requested to defend — to get behind the ball as a bunch and refuse their opposition any clear or apparent routes by means of to Merle Frohms’ purpose — that the assured play from Oberdorf shines. Or, when up in opposition to a speedy French counterattack, Oberdorf’s potential to learn the play and arc her run earlier than sliding to take the ball off the attacker with no shred of panic that she shows the traits of one of many senior gamers within the squad.

In some ways, Oberdorf typifies the group Voss-Tecklenburg has introduced collectively: younger however skilled, proficient but humble, individually sensible however totally targeted on the success of the collective staff. Oberdorf was unavailable for choice final time Germany clashed with England, a loss on the Arnold Clark Cup — a pleasant four-team match held in England in February — and if the Lionesses are to once more have related pleasure on the ultimate, they may first want to beat the cornerstone of the German midfield.

In an period of the attacker being king, Oberdorf is just not the kind of participant to steal the headlines or make the entrance pages — but with out her consistency and expertise, Germany wouldn’t have gotten this far. She’s apparent alternative for participant of the match, and Oberdorf may but have her crowning second this Euros.

Supply: espn.co.uk