In the 102nd minute at Parc Saint-Jacques, Basel, there was a brief moment of silence among the German and French fans as seasoned central defender Janina Minge directed a cross from Sakina Karchaoui toward the goal. She was on the verge of scoring an own goal.
Then, the unimaginable occurred: Ann-Katrin Berger stepped forward and expertly intervened, deflecting the ball that was destined for the top corner. The French believed they had achieved a miraculous own goal in extra time, but the German goalkeeper had other plans.
It was such an unforgettable save that Charlotte Harpur of The Athletic, astonished in the press box, remarked:"There may not be a definitive best save of all time, but Berger is now part of that discussion."
AgainstFrance, Berger recorded a total of 9 saves and executed two crucial stops in the penalty shootout, frustrating Les Bleues despite being down a player since the 14th minute due to Kathrin Hendrich's red card.
She concluded the match with the Player of the Match accolade.
"I'm not particularly emotional," she stated at the press conference.
"I'm simply grateful and proud to be here, to be part of this team."
At the final whistle, the tournament producers opted to film her up close, and Berger seized the moment to quickly honor her grandfather, who had just celebrated his 92nd birthday. However, she soon became frustrated and requested the cameraman to capture the rest of the team celebrating with the fans: "Hey, film the team too, not just me. The team is equally important!"
A quiet force in nurturing young talent
The 34-year-old goalkeeper, currently playing for Gotham in the American women's league, feels she was "simply doing her job", despite her decisive saves during penalty shootouts. She is a calming presence, able to steady young players like Jule Brand, who was brimming with energy for 120 minutes, or Sjoeke Nüsken, who netted the equalizer and celebrated exuberantly at the final whistle.
"She’s incredibly calm and intelligent. I knew she’d save penalties," she told reporters in the mixed zone afterward, while winger Klara Buhl described her as "the team's pillar of tranquility", thanks to her "extraordinary life experience".
This calmness and perspective that Ann-Katrin Berger possesses stems from a life that has been anything but easy. In 2017, while playing for Birmingham City, she was diagnosed with her first case of thyroid cancer. After a swift return to the pitch six months later, Berger faced a relapse in August 2022, having just spent the summer on the DFB bench during a Euro where Germany was eliminated by England in the semi-finals.
Her journey with the eight-time European champions has also been complex: the player who grew up playing as a striker and midfielder transitioned to goalkeeper at 16 because she had "grown too lazy to run", waited until she was 27 to transfer to Chelsea and don the German shirt for the first time.
After earning her first cap in a Euro 2022 qualifier against Ireland, she seized the opportunity presented by Germany's historic group stage exit in the 2023 World Cup to ascend to the number one position, taking over from Merle Frohms.
Heroine of the 2024 Olympic Games
As a starter at the Olympic Games, where the DFB secured third place, Berger participated in all six matches and even converted a penalty after saving two against Canada in the quarter-finals. She also saved a 90th-minute penalty from Alexia Putellas in the third-place match, helping Germany clinch bronze. This was an unpleasant memory for the Spanish Ballon d'Or winner, who will face the "German wall" again in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
However, while Berger has firmly established herself as Germany's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper, supported by Christian Wuck's appointment as national team coach in August 2024, the 34-year-old nearly found herself on the bench after a tumultuous start to Euro 2025.
The German goalkeeper made three full-stretch saves against aSweden team that really didn't require assistance after taking a 3-1 lead by halftime, but her coach substituted her, insisting that Germany"wouldn't last long" in the tournament if she continued to dribble near her own goal.
A challenging start to the Euros
"To put it mildly, I'm not particularly concerned with those who criticize from the sidelines," responded Ann-Katrin Berger to her critics, relieved that this tough phase occurred "now and not in the quarter-finals." I'm inherently very critical, so I don't need to hear criticism from someone who has never been a goalkeeper."
Following her outstanding performance against Les Bleues, it is now a time for accolades rather than criticism. The 34-year-old, who has only 26 caps to her name, has even received praise from legend Lothar Matthaus, captain of the 1990 FIFA World Cup-winning Germany team, who believes Berger possesses "the talent and ambition to lead the team to significant success."
The goalkeeper, for her part, is at least aspiring to reach the final, as she did in 2022, for very personal reasons: "My grandfather turned 92 a few days ago. My motivation is to get him to the Final. He mentioned that the quarter-finals and semi-finals aren't worth celebrating."
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