Thursday, October 07, 2021
Ex-attacker hits three times
Later trouble at Wolfsburg Spectacle
The three German teams only manage one victory at the start of the Women’s Champions League. There would have been a lot more in there. The game ends bitterly, especially for VfL Wolfsburg, who are on the verge of a surprise.
The footballers of VfL Wolfsburg have gambled away an important opening win in the new Champions League group stage. At last year’s finalists FC Chelsea, the German Cup winners only managed a 3: 3 (2: 1) draw despite a 3-1 lead. Long-time VfL star Pernille Harder scored the equalizer in the second minute of stoppage time, it was her third goal of the evening. The Dane played in Wolfsburg from 2017 to 2020. This goal also deprived VfL of a successful revenge for the quarter-finals last season.
Samantha Kerr gave the Londoners the lead in the twelfth minute. But two goals from Tabea Waßmuth (18./48.) And the 2-1 opening goal from Jill Roord (34.) gave this game a supposed turnaround. The team of the German national player Melanie Leupolz quickly reduced England to 2: 3 (51st) through Bethany and from then on pressed for the equalizer in front of 1371 spectators. Last season, Chelsea defeated VfL 2-1 and 3-0 and then eliminated Bayern Munich in the semifinals.
The soccer players of FC Bayern Munich also started the group stage with a draw. The Munich team did not get beyond a goalless draw at Benfica Lisbon on Tuesday evening. Linda Dallmann (13th minute), Maximiliane Rall (37th) and Lea Schüller (85th) each missed the lead for the superior German champions. A goal by Munich’s Saki Kumagai (78th) was whistled back in the closing stages after the ball touched her arm.
Things went much better for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim with an easy runaway win: The Bundesliga team also beat Danish champions HB Köge 5-0 (1-0) on Tuesday evening at the start of the group phase. Katharina Naschenweng (18th minute), Nicole Billa (47th), Luana Bühler (61st) and Tine Lea De Caigny (63rd / 90th +3) scored the TSG goals in Sinsheim in front of national coach Martina Voss- Tecklenburg.