Klara Bühl lets DFB women dream of World Cup glory in rain vs Japan

In the endless rain of Bremen, Klara Bühl and her teammates leapt over the wet pitch, while cheering fans celebrated the DFB team around the exceptional talent of FC Bayern. The match against Japan became an exclamation point for the World Cup title dreams of the German women.

Statement win and personal assessments

The 2-1 win (1-1 at halftime) against the World Cup co‑favourite Japan was a clear statement win, which gave a tailwind four days after a 4-2 success against Australia. “With the team it is possible to become world champion as well,” explained Jule Brand, who plays for FC Lyon, when asked about the self‑image of the DFB women eight months before the final tournament in Brazil.

National coach Christian Wück praised Bühl as an “incredibly important factor” and compared her two‑footed quality to no male player. He added that the team has made a big step forward since Euro 2025.

Performance, criticism and outlook

Bühl, who after a deficit caused by Momoko Tanikawa (15) and Linda Dallmann (28) scored the equaliser and then struck herself in the 73rd minute, rated her performance self‑critically with a 7 to 7.5 on a scale of 1 to 10. She still saw potential and placed the team between 6.5 and 7.

Wück called the options in midfield a work‑in‑progress and referred to possible absences of Sjoeke Nüsken or Elisa Senß. He emphasized that the squad, despite prominent defensive absences – Giulia Gwinn, Rebecca Knaak and Kathrin Hendrich – has built a good foundation.

The situation regarding Lena Oberdorf was explained: after two ACL tears and a current knee irritation she is to rest completely until February, after which the further course will be examined.

From the end of November two test matches in South America will follow, to perfect the fine‑tuning. For 2027 the DFB selection must withstand result pressure in the Nations League, which serves Olympic qualification, because according to Wück there is no extra preparation time for the World Cup – every match is incredibly important.