Germany’s top scorer Alexandra Popp was ruled out of Germany’s starting lineup for the UEFA Women’s EURO final against England.
The 31-year was replaced at the last minute Sunday after aggravating an injury during the game’s warm-ups.
Co-leading scorer at @WEURO2022 Alex Popp received an injury in warm-ups and will not be available for the #WEURO2022 final. 🫤 pic.twitter.com/nWHUAYpHIR
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) July 31, 2022
Popp is tied with England’s Beth Mead atop the Euro Golden Boot race with six goals.
Lea Schüller replaced Popp in Germany’s starting 11.
As England and Germany enter the Euros final Sunday, Beth Mead and Alexandra Popp are deadlocked in the Golden Boot race.
Each player, Mead for England and Popp for Germany, has scored six goals so far in the tournament. That number puts them in a tie for the most ever in a women’s Euros with Germany’s Inka Grings, who scored six in 2009.
With six goals through five games, each has a goals per game ratio of 1.20 – good for second best in history behind England’s Jodie Taylor, who had five goals in four games in 2017 for a ratio of 1.25.
Sunday’s match will decide not just the championship but the winner of the Golden Boot. Of course, they could finish the tournament tied at six goals apiece, but where’s the fun in that? Just Women’s Sports breaks down the state of the competition.
Beth Mead, England
Five of Mead’s six goals came in the group stage, three during England’s 8-0 rout of Norway.
Perhaps even more impressive is that of Mead’s 15 total attempts, just six have been on target – and all of them have gone in. She also ranks first in assists (5) and chances created (14) in this tournament, making her quite the threat for Germany on Sunday.
BETH MEAD PUTS ENGLAND AHEAD IN THE SEMIFINAL! 🏴 pic.twitter.com/weE5V4vccA
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 26, 2022
Alexandra Popp
Playing in her first Euros, Alexandra Popp is making her name known.
Of her six goals, four have come on headers – something that England should look out for come Sunday. In total, she’s made 17 attempts, with seven on target.
She came up big for Germany during the semifinal, scoring both of the team’s goals. But she credits her team for helping her with the chances.
“If I don’t get these passes, I don’t score. It makes me happy when they create chances for me to score,” Popp said following the team’s semifinal win. “It’s not my main objective to win the Golden Boot, the main objective is to win the Euros.”
ALEXANDRA POPP DOES IT AGAIN! 🔥
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 27, 2022
Germany lead over France in the semifinal 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/6sTOB4LjAM