Nadine Angerer: Two Penalty Saves, One Final

Germany beat Norway 1–0 in the 2013 Women’s European Championship final. The scoreline leaves out a decisive part of the story: Nadine Angerer saved two penalties, one in each half, while Anja Mittag scored Germany’s winner.

For anyone interested in goalkeeping, this final offers more than a pair of dramatic highlights. It shows how the position combines an immediate response with the ability to prepare for the next problem.

Two takers, two stops

UEFA’s report from Solna records Angerer stopping Trine Rønning’s first-half penalty with her leg. After Germany took the lead, she denied Solveig Gulbrandsen from the spot as well.

The first save protected a level score. The second protected a lead. Those are different match situations, even though the goalkeeper begins each penalty facing the same basic task.

A replay cannot tell us everything Angerer knew about the takers or how she reached each decision. It can show the action she chose, her response to the shot, and what happened immediately afterward. Keeping that distinction makes the analysis more useful than assuming a goalkeeper simply guessed correctly.

The save is not always the end

When a penalty stays in play, the next contact matters. A goalkeeper has to locate the ball again, while defenders and attackers react to a possible rebound. Celebration can wait until the danger has passed.

That is a broader lesson of the position. The first intervention may prevent a goal without resolving the situation. Watch how quickly a goalkeeper regains a position from which another action is possible.

Our article on goalkeepers as playmakers examines what happens when possession is secure. Angerer’s final brings attention back to the work required to secure it.

Recognition should include the whole task

Mittag supplied the winning goal, but Angerer’s saves were essential to preserving that result. The match is a concrete reason to look beyond scoring when discussing individual influence.

Read recognition beyond the scoreboard for that wider question. In this final, the goalkeeper’s contribution was visible enough to change the meaning of a seemingly narrow scoreline.