VfL Wolfsburg can continue to dream of their first Champions League title in nine years. Coach Tommy Stroot’s team defeated Paris St. Germain in the quarterfinals. In the second leg in the VW Arena, a draw is enough – the DFB captain Alexandra Popp refines.
If the words mentality and will fit a footballer, then it’s Alexandra Popp. She proved that once again in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris St. Germain (1-1). The French dominated in the first 20 minutes of the game, needing to make up for their 1-0 defeat in the first leg and they were more than willing to do it quickly. But Popp threw a spanner in the works in front of 14,367 spectators in the large VW Arena, to which they had moved for this highlight game.
The linchpin of the 20th minute was the DFB striker. From her own half she played the long pass to winger Felicitas Rauch, who ran forward. However, the ball went too long for Rauch, Grace Geyoro intercepted it and played it back. Popp, however, disrupted the Parisians’ build-up game and matched the incoming smoke again. This time the national player got the ball and after a run played back to Popp, who was storming forward.
She won’t reach the ball decisively, was the first thought when watching. PSG defender Oriane Jean-Francois is in good shape. She will get the ball, but not get the shot, was the second thought. Well, she’ll get the shot, but it won’t go on goal, was the third thought. The fourth was then: It’s pop. Because with a lot of will she threw herself into the ball, halfway to falling she shot it into the top right corner, which was worth seeing and untenable for PSG goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi.
Her jubilation was correspondingly self-confident, she ran across the field with her arms spread wide, let herself be celebrated until the cheering smoke jumped into her arms. The 31-year-old regularly turns into a monster in front of the goal. It is noteworthy that this 1-0 is also only their first goal of this Champions League season. At the same time, looking at the game system of Wolfsburg coach Tommy Stroot, it is less surprising. Because he likes to use Popp more defensively, he has a top scorer in Ewa Pajor, who leads the list of top scorers. She scored seven goals in eight games, but she sat on the bench for a long time against PSG and came on for Jill Roord in the 73rd minute.
Popp offers a luxury problem
It’s a luxury problem that Popp can play in so many positions. As a striker, however, she certainly spreads the most fear among opponents. She doesn’t shy away from a duel, goes into headers regardless of losses and brings with her a force that is almost unstoppable. The opponents had to experience this internationally at the European Championships – Popp’s personal fairy tale without a happy ending. In the semifinals in Milton Keynes, some PSG players also represented France. She overcame them twice over. The second goal eight months ago was prepared by Rauch. It is quite possible that some PSG players thought of a bad omen.
“We are super happy and super proud, it was a tough fight,” said Popp after the game on DAZN. “We fought our way in, accepted the duels. The first goal was extremely important for us.” It was a goal out of nowhere. Until then, PSG had everything under control, had supposedly taken the lead through a goal by Kadidiatou Diani, but a pass behind the last line of defense put them a foot wide offside, and the VAR conceded the early lead. Lucky for the wolves, who didn’t just play confidently in this scene. After the surprising lead, they could almost have made it 2-0, it would have been pop again. A cross from captain Svenja Huth hit the 31-year-old with a diving header so that Bouhaddi was just able to fend off the ball.
Diani equalized with a header in the 30th minute after a cross from Sakina Karchaoui, a few minutes later she injured her shoulder in a duel with Kathrin Hendrich, played on briefly before she gave up in tears and with a heavily bandaged arm had to leave the place. PSG were deprived of their strongest attacker. Also because Wolfsburg played more confidently in the second half, the guests could not score any more goals. Several attempts by VfL only landed on the post or crossbar. “I’m very happy about our development in this game and about the face we showed after the game against Bayern Munich,” said Stroot about the first game after his team took the lead in the Bundesliga in a direct duel with FC Bayern had lost and now has to seriously fear for the championship. “The team fought until the last minute and threw themselves into the balls.”
Semi-final against Arsenal
Winning against “such an international class” “is really something that makes us extremely proud,” Stroot continued. By reaching the semi-finals, Wolfsburg keeps the chance of the first premier class triumph in nine years. In 2013 and 2014 the women from Lower Saxony had been able to win the cup so far. In three subsequent finals, they each failed because of the record winners from Olympique Lyon. This will not happen to them this time, as the French were eliminated by Chelsea later in the evening.
VfL Wolfsburg are through, now meeting Arsenal in the semi-finals, who derailed Tuesday’s Germany-Germany clash as the Londoners defeated Bayern Munich. It is not yet certain that a German team will definitely reach the final in Eindhoven (June 3rd). However, there is a good omen for VfL: last season they reached the semi-finals by beating Arsenal. “We’ll look forward to it because it’s clear it’s the last step towards the final,” said the DFB captain: “And we want to win it.”