Wolfsburg close in on title as Frauen-Bundesliga status of basement side hangs by a thread
As Wolfsburg move a step closer to retaining the Frauen-Bundesliga title, Martin Whiteley recaps the latest round of action.
Unbeaten table-toppers Wolfsburg moved a step nearer to their fourth straight Frauen-Bundesliga league title after an efficient 3-0 win away against SGS Essen. Ewa Pajor broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark. Two goals in a two-minute spell either side of the interval – which included a second for Pajor – allowed the visitors to stamp their authority on this game as they moved onto 55 points.
The hosts have now lost their last three league games and drop down to sixth position with 28 points. Although they have struggled for form recently in Frauen-Bundesliga play, SGS Essen did make it through to the final of the DFB-Pokal Frauen – scheduled for 4 July, in Cologne. On their travels against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, SGS Essen came out on top 3-1. Up against them will be Wolfsburg – holders of the trophy for the last five years – who got the better of 2. Frauen-Bundesliga side Arminia Bielefeld 5-0 away from home in the other semi-final. Cláudia Neto with a double.
Bayern Munich still mathematically has an opportunity to overall Wolfsburg, but their chances become slimmer with each round of games that passes. All Bayern can do is keep the pressure on the leaders with wins and the second-placed team continued to accomplish their goal with their eighth victory in their last nine outings. Bottom side USV Jena the team handed the loss this time around by a score of 2-0 to keep the hosts eight points adrift of Wolfsburg with three games to play. Just like their opponents, the numbers say USV Jena could still achieve their aim of staying up. Seven straight losses to their name and with only a couple of draws gained in league play all season – even with a game in hand – those figures paint an altogether bleaker picture. Just like the task that faces Bayern the challenge USV Jena is up against looks equally unrealistic.
Hoffenheim continue to be in a position to capitalise on any future slip-ups from Bayern as they registered back-to-back wins for the first time since they managed three victories on the spin in December. The 6-0 success away to SC Sand moved Hoffenheim onto 43 points and guarantees them to finish the Frauen-Bundesliga season no lower than third in the table. Isabella Hartig scored a hat-trick and Katharina Naschenweng claimed two goals. The hosts remain eighth with 22 points after this reversal.
In the opening game of the round, FFC Frankfurt advanced onto 33 points as they got back to winning ways on home soil. Relegation-threatened MSV Duisburg proved a timely opponent for the fourth-placed team who ran out 5-1 winners. Laura Freigang with a double. With the number of games left to play dwindling this is not the time for the visitors to lose form as they slipped to back-to-back defeats. MSV Duisburg was also not helped by the first-half dismissal of Claire O’Riordan as they remain second from bottom in the table with 13 points.
Turbine Potsdam found that winning feeling once more as they defeated Bayer Leverkusen. A 5-1 victory for the visitors moved them onto 30 points and up a spot to fifth in the standings. Of all the teams towards the foot of the table that has a legitimate shot to avoid the drop it is Bayer that needs to quickly transform their recent league results the most. Just outside the relegation places on goal difference, Bayer has only managed to gain four points out of their last 10 league matches and have a losing run that now stands at six games.
Naomi Mégroz scored twice as Freiburg moved onto 28 points after coming from a goal down to win 6-1 at home to Cologne. The victory for the hosts was their third win on the bounce and keeps them in seventh-place. Cologne, who moved out of the relegation zone after a nail-biting 1-0 home win on Wednesday against USV Jena, unable to extend their three-game unbeaten run to remain ninth in the standings on 14 points.
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