Olympic: German women dedicate bronze medal match to outgoing coach Hrubesch

The German women’s football team seeks Olympic bronze on Friday for personal pride – and as a farewell gift for their popular interim coach Horst Hrubesch.

“We dedicate the game to him. We badly want the medal,” forward Klara Bühl said ahead of the game against world champions Spain.

Hrubesch, 72, took charge as caretaker for a second time in autumn and led them to the Olympics via third place in the Nation’s League, ad to Euro 2025.

It is his second Olympics for the Euro 1980 winner and Champions Cup winner with SV Hamburg, having earned silver at Rio 2016 with the men’s team.

Hrubesch is not making a big fuss about his last match, having missed another final by losing 1-0 against record winners United States.

“Other people also go to work on their last day and then into retirement,” he said.

“For me it is important that the girls get it. It will be very difficult,” he said, adding that “I already have one [medal].”

Looking back at the term, he said: “I’m glad that I was allowed to do it again and that I was able to do it. I just have to say thank you for the way they took me along for the ride, the way they welcomed me and the way they treated me.”

Hrubesch is not heading right into retirement because his contract as SV Hamburg youth coordinator runs for another year.

His successor at the women’s team will be Christian Wück, who led the men’s under-17 team to the 2023 World Cup title.

Hrubesch got the team back on track after an unprecedented World Cup group stage exit last year, with Wück’s first big test the 2025 Euros in Switzerland.

Hrubesch has pledged to be there, as a fan: “We will drive to Switzerland next summer and watch the girls’ Euro matches. The camper van will be ready – and we will also go to Italy, Slovenia, Austria.”

©dpa

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