Berger's journey from cancer to shootout hero
'I live my best life'
After playing with only 10 players from the 13th minute against France - Kathrin Hendrich was sent off for foolishly pulling Griedge Mbock by her hair in the penalty area - Christian Wuck's side fought brilliantly to force extra time and then penalties.Even in an outstanding team performance, where Germany survived against the odds, Berger stood out.Before her penalty heroics, she had made nine saves - the most by a goalkeeper in a Euros knockout stage match since 2013.She saved Germany in multiple match-defining moments, including a diving one-handed save to deny a backwards header from her own player.Then came the shootout. She saved Amel Majri's opening spot-kick to put Germany ahead, scored a penalty herself, then made sure Sara Dabritz's miss was not costly by pulling off a diving save to keep Alice Sombath out."I am not really an emotional person," Berger said when asked to reflect on her journey from cancer diagnosis to this moment."The time here just makes me proud to be here. Whatever happened in 2022 is in the past, I'm looking forward to the future and now I live my best life and I am in a semi-final."Even playing at a European Championship has been a long time coming for Berger, who is engaged to England defender Jess Carter.Aged 34 years 269 days, she became Germany's oldest player to appear at the Euros when making her competition debut in their opening game against Poland.
Berger was was first diagnosed with cancer in 2017 while playing for Birmingham City, but she returned to football 76 days later and went on to be named in the Professional Footballers' Association team of the year.She then enjoyed an extremely successful spell at Chelsea, winning five Women's Super League titles before moving to US side Gotham FC last year."She is a player who has had extreme experiences," Wuck said after the game."That is a very important character trait. I think her faith and pathway in life has made sure she is patient, and the patience and calmness she brings to the team she proved today."Berger, who was named player of the match, said reporters should not focus on her performance."All the credit should go to the team and not me. Maybe it was the decisive moment in penalty shootout, but everyone here should talk about the performance of the team because that was amazing and incredible," she said.Germany midfielder Sjoeke Nusken said she was always confident they would win on penalties, knowing Berger was between the posts."I knew we had Ann-Katrin Berger, so we are very good in this," she said."She is an amazing goalkeeper. She is so calm, she is so clever and I knew she would save penalties. We are very happy she is in our team."Germany's victory was the second quarter-final to be decided by penalties after England beat Sweden in a shootout that lacked quality compared to Germany and France's display."This is two outstanding performances from goalkeepers that we have seen most recently," said former England keeper Karen Bardsley."Hannah Hampton won player of the match against Sweden. Through a slightly biased lens, I am so pleased to see goalkeepers get the credit they deserve."I'm not German but I would be so proud to support these girls with the way they played this game out in such difficult circumstances."This is a real players' performance tonight. I've been really impressed; Germany showed some real grit."
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