Women’s Worldwide Round-up: Record crowd for Lyon vs PSG in Feminine Division 1, Primera División Femenina players go on strike in Spain and last 16 cup action in Germany
Martin Whiteley gives a women’s worldwide round-up of all the happenings across Germany, France and Spain.
Lyon gain upper hand after meeting of top two
The main aspect that seperates champions from the rest is not only their ability to win games but to win key games. That was certainly what Lyon were able to do as they faced PSG, the team most likely to attempt to stop their pursuit of a 14th straight league title.
The 1-0 scoreline indicated a close contest but if PSG had had managed to score you got the feeling that Lyon would have scored another.
The quality in the depth of the Lyon squad showed as regular starters Wendie Renard and Alex Greenwood were both missing, and they lost Eugénie Le Sommer to injury just past the half-hour mark. Lucy Bronze was the only England international to start with Nikita Parris and Izzy Christiansen both unused substitutes.
The only goal for Lyon — in front of a record crowd for a women’s top-flight game in France of 30,661 — was scored by Saki Kumagai, three minutes into the second half. The victory for the league leaders moved them onto 25 points and they become the only unbeaten Feminine Division 1 side.
The first loss for PSG saw them remain on 22 points and also allowed the two teams immediately below them to close the gap as they faced the bottom two sides in the table.
Third-place Montpellier advanced to 19 points after a 3-0 win on the road against Olympique Marseille, meanwhile Bordeaux, after back-to-back wins, move to 18 points after a 4-0 success away to Metz.
Primera División Femenina players strike
Following a meeting on 11th of November, a mediation proposal was sent by the Ministry of Labour to try and get an agreement signed between the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) and the Association of Women’s Football Clubs (ACFF).
After assessing and discussing the offer with the players it was announced by the AFE the following day that they saw positives and would subscribe to it.
With each club having varying degrees of financial capabilities, the ACFF did not agree to the proposal set out by the Ministry of Labour, believing the more modest clubs will be unable to afford the proposed new wages and conditions.
With nothing signed the players started an indefinite strike beginning this past weekend.
Cup action takes centre stage in Germany this week
The last 16 of the DFB-Pokal Frauen saw few surprises as the majority of the elite Frauen Bundesliga sides made it safely through to the last eight.
In the tie of the round, league leaders Wolfsburg travelled to Bayern Munich, who sit third in the league. Victorious in this competition six of the last seven years — including the last five in a row — Wolfsburg kept their hopes of lifting the trophy again alive with a 3-1 success.
The other two sides currently occupying top-four league places also made it through. Second-placed Hoffenheim got the better of bottom side USV Jena 6-1 at home, and SGS Essen defeated Cologne 3-1.
In the two other all Frauen Bundesliga ties Bayer Leverkusen visited FFC Frankfurt and left with a 1-0 victory, while Turbine Potsdam held out for a 3-2 success away to Freiburg.
Top-flight side SC Sand negotiated a tricky tie away at Werder Bremen. A goal in each half saw them win 2-0. Gütersloh travelled to Saarbrücken and won 4-3 after extra-time.
Second-tier side Arminia Bielefeld are the final team into the last eight after a 2-1 win away to Nuremberg.
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