DFB goalkeeper after European Championship defeat against Sweden: "Sometimes it's good to lose"

On Saturday evening (July 12), the German national team faced Sweden in the European Football Championship. However, the match didn't go as planned for the DFB women. Although Jule Brand scored a goal in the opening minutes, that remained Germany's only goal.

But at least goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger isn't letting the defeat get her down. Quite the opposite; the 4-1 debacle seems to have even motivated her.

"I'd rather be beaten now than in the quarterfinals, because then we can't undo it," the 34-year-old told Bild . In fact, the German national team doesn't have to leave the tournament because of the defeat to Sweden. Their place in the European Championship quarterfinals was already assured for the players. But a loss in the quarterfinals would make things look different.

Berger can even see something positive in the defeat against Sweden: "I think sometimes in football—don't take me literally—but sometimes it's good to lose, to really know how much it hurts to lose and that sometimes it's just not enough when we perform like that. And that's simply a lesson for us."

It's not yet clear who Germany will face in the quarterfinals in Basel next Saturday (July 19). Possible opponents include France, England, or the Netherlands.

Which team her team will face in the next game doesn't matter to Berger. After all, every team in the European Championship is "a huge opponent" for her. But she's not intimidated by that. Quite the opposite, Ann-Katrin Berger is confident: "No matter who comes at us, they have to be afraid of us, not us of them."