Germany's women: Ena Mahmutovic makes her case to become Germany's next No.1 goalkeeper

Germany's win against Australia saw Ena Mahmutovic excel in goal. The 22-year-old Bayern Munich goalkeeper is considered the successor to Ann-Katrin Berger and is making a name for herself.

With determination, pace, and four beautifully crafted goals, Germany's women won its friendly against Australia, thrilling not only the fans but also head coach Christian Wück.

"You can see how fired up the girls are, how well they're already playing together, and that we have an incredible amount of talent on the field and on the bench," said a delighted Wück after his team's well-deserved 4-2 victory.

Since there were several notable absences, including captain Giulia Gwinn and top scorer Lea Schüller, others had to step up and fill the gaps. And they did so with flying colors. Melissa Kössler made a strong case for herself as a striker by scoring her first two international goals. Center back Camilla Küver and Sjoeke Nüsken were also on the scoresheet.

Much like it was with the men's team during Jürgen Klopp's first international break as Germany head coach, the question as to who will emerge as the next number one goalkeeper for the women was also a hot topic.

The difference is that unlike Manuel Neuer, who has retired from international football, Ann-Katrin Berger is sticking around for at least one more tournament cycle.

However, with just three matches to go before the start of the playoffs in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), where she plays for Gotham FC, Berger is giving these two Germany friendlies a miss.

This means 22-year-old Bayern Munich goalkeeper Ena Mahmutovic, who is seen as a potential successor to Berger, took her her chance.

"Ena deserves to play the next match," Wück said ahead of the game. "We must not forget that she already kept a clean sheet in Slovenia (Germany's last World Cup qualifier). And I hope she can repeat that tomorrow."

Some will draw parallels to Jonas Urbig, who many see as a future number one for Germany's men. Both he and Mahmutovic were born in 2003 in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and both are seen as up-and-coming stars for their club and country.

The difference is that while Urbig remains an understudy to Neuer at Bayern, Mahmutovic is already the first-choice keeper at her club, having won the starting job over Maria Luisa Grohs prior to the start of the season.

For Germany, though, Mahmutovic still has to bide her time, while there are already strong indications that Klopp intends to make Urbig his number one.