Women’s worldwide round-up: planned strike action in Spain, while it’s business-as-usual for Wolfsburg, PSG, and Lyon
Martin Whiteley takes us through the week’s action across Europe and the US.
Wolfsburg stay perfect to maintain lead over chasing pack
Leaders Wolfsburg recorded their eighth straight league win after a 5-1 home victory against SGS Essen.
Hoffenheim remain three points behind Wolfsburg after they won for the fifth game running. A single first-half penalty from Nicole Billa was enough for the home side to get the better of SC Sand.
A 3-0 win away to USV Jena gave Bayern Munich back-to-back victories as they moved up to 18 points.
FFC Frankfurt defeated Duisburg thanks to young talent Sjoeke Nüsken’s winner, to move level with fourth-place SGS Essen on 15 points.
PSG continue to top table in France
After they moved to the Féminine Division 1 summit last week, PSG were in no mood to relinquish their position as they demolished Marseille on the road. Three first-half tallies settled any nerves, and a brace after the interval eased PSG to their seventh straight victory. They hold on to their two-point advantage over Lyon.
It was business as usual for Lyon at home to fourth-in-the-table Bordeaux. They responded to dropping points last week in the best possible way. Lucy Bronze was back, joining fellow Lionesses Alex Greenwood and Nikita Parris in the starting line-up; Parris scored a decisive third goal for the champions just before the interval to put them in command. Izzy Christiansen entered play late on from the bench, as Lyon ran out a 4-0 win to move to 19 points. Bordeaux remain on 12 points and have now lost three of their last four games.
A 5-2 win away to Paris FC advanced third-place Montpellier onto 16 points. The victory for the team from southern France extended their unbeaten run to four games.
News on and off the field this week in Spain
The major off-pitch news this week came last Tuesday, when 93% of the Primera División Femenina players voted to support strike action. Negotiations about work conditions and pay between the Association of Women’s Football Clubs and the players’ unions have broken down. No date for strike action has yet been given, as certain legal requirements need to be followed.
On the field, Asisat Oshoala grabbed a brace as Barcelona moved onto 19 points after a 4-0 success away to Madrid. It was the leaders’ fifth league win on the spin, and during that time Oshoala has found the net an impressive seven times.
Deportivo de La Coruña won their fourth game in a row to stay level on points with Barcelona. Three first-half goals set the platform for the home side, and even though Deportivo did concede one in the second half, they were too strong overall for Tacón.
Atlético Madrid were also in great goal-scoring form as they registered their fourth straight league win to stay a point behind the top two. Toni Duggan scored her first goal for her new club to put Atletico 2-0 up just after the half-hour mark, as they dispatched Real Sociedad on their travels 4-1.
Home sweet home for NWSL Championship winners & new face to join the party
In their three contests in the regular season this year, Chicago Red Stars had not lost against North Carolina Courage — winning two and drawing one.
The play-offs were a different matter for Chicago, as the Courage had knocked them out in both of the previous two years. North Carolina were also playing in their third straight championship game. In the past, Chicago had never made it to the final game of the season.
That superior post-season success for North Carolina continued in this game, as the Courage were able to claim back-to-back championships. North Carolina scored three first-half goals to set them on their way, as they went on to defeat Chicago 4-0 in a game that was also played on their home field.
Leaving the league on a winning note was the retiring North Carolina player Heather O’Reilly. But earlier in the week there was also news that a new face would be joining NWSL in the future. On Tuesday it was announced that Louisville would be the league’s newest team; they will begin play in 2021.
Follow Martin on Twitter @673martin
The Offside Rule 
Leave a Reply