'Really good basketball!' DBB team storm into the World Cup final round with a second win - star fan Dennis Schröder delights

Translated by After their convincing win in the showdown against Mali, Germany's women basketball players face South Korea in the qualification round for the quarter-finals at the home World Cup. "Durch den Monsun" by Tokio Hotel blared from the speakers, and to the team song Germany's women basketball players skipped across the Berlin court as the fans celebrated them. In the showdown with Mali, Olaf Lange's side held their nerve and secured the best possible platform for the jump into the final round. The hosts wrapped up their group-stage campaign with an 83:58 (49:32) win after a convincing display, earning second place in Group A behind favourites Spain. They now face South Korea in Tuesday's qualification round for the quarter-finals (8.45pm/MagentaTV). "I am very pleased with how we have developed. Now the success is there as well," Lange said in the sold-out Uber Arena on MagentaTV before immediately turning his focus to the next test. "Now we have to reorganise again. South Korea are a good team." Before the group finale, all four teams sat on three points after two matches, each with one win and one defeat. Germany could still have climbed to first place, but they could just as easily have finished fourth. Once Spain beat Japan 79:59 in the other evening game, top spot was gone, but the interim target had been reached. Dennis Schröder likes what he sees from the DBB team After the heavy opening defeat to Spain (53:83) and the response against Japan (74:58), Germany's task was simple: finish as high up the table as possible. That meant they had to win for the second time in the tournament. "We have to be the aggressor from the start," said Frieda Bühner, the top scorer against Japan. With world champion captain Dennis Schröder watching courtside as a celebrity fan, they got exactly that start. The defence kept Mali under control, Leonie Fiebich hit an early three-pointer, and Germany moved 15:7 ahead in the sixth minute. Then came a sloppy spell full of mistakes. Alexis Peterson, back after missing the second half against Japan because of an infection, coughed up two quick turnovers. Luisa Geiselsöder, who had struggled to get going in the tournament until now, delivered her best display and was perfect in the first half. Bühner also shone, and her second straight three-pointer gave Germany their first double-digit lead at 40:29 in the 16th minute. From there, almost everything clicked. Alexandra Wilke and Marie Gülich also scored from outside, before top scorer Bühner struck again for her 21 points. Luisa Geiselsöder makes it safe early on "You want to get better in every game, and they are doing that," Schröder said at half-time, also praising the "awesome atmosphere" created by the 12,550 spectators. In their second meeting with Mali after an international in Saarlouis in 2007, Germany showed no sign of wobbling after the break. Mali, who had sensationally beaten Spain 82:73 on the second matchday, had no answer to the energy of Lange's team. Geiselsöder effectively settled it with another three-pointer in the 25th minute for 56:37. "It felt great. It was really good basketball," said the WNBA player. Beat South Korea, who finished third in Group B, in the play-off round and the DBB team will face Belgium in the quarter-finals. The European champions of 2023 and 2025 won Group C without defeat.