Second Champions League spot and relegation battle to be decided on final Frauen-Bundesliga matchday
With so much left at stake, the final round of Frauen-Bundesliga fixtures is set to be a dramatic affair. Martin Whiteley explains how the table stands after all the action of the penultimate matchday.
The only side to take points off Wolfsburg this season had been Bayern Munich, when the two teams played out a 1-1 draw back in November at the champions’ home ground. With the title already wrapped up and a cup final on the horizon, the only thought for Wolfsburg going into another Bayern match-up was to continue their quest of completing the whole campaign unbeaten. Bayern had a more pressing agenda, knowing that one more win would guarantee them a second-place finish in the Frauen-Bundesliga as well as Champions League qualification.
Despite enjoying a number of opportunities, Bayern could not find the net and the game ended goalless. The point for the hosts extended their unbeaten run to 15 league games and moved them onto 51 points. All matchday 22 games will take place on 28 June, with Bayern away to SGS Essen vying to win crucial points. Meanwhile, with this draw, confirmed champions Wolfsburg were able to advance to 59 points.
The dropped points for Bayern allowed third-place Hoffenheim to close the gap between the two sides: there are just two points between them going into the final round of fixtures. Outside of the top two teams, Hoffenheim has the best recent form record, and they were able to extend their current run of wins to four matches with a 4-0 success at home to FFC Frankfurt. Hoffenheim visit Turbine Potsdam next week to conclude their season. The loss for the visitors was their second on the bounce to keep them on 33 points – but they did drop a place down to sixth in the standings.
Turbine Potsdam moved to 34 points to stay in fourth spot on goal difference, despite being held to a 0-0 draw away to MSV Duisburg. The point for the hosts proved invaluable as they climbed up to 10th place in the table on 14 points and out of the relegation zone on goal difference. A trip to face already relegated USV Jena awaits MSV Duisburg to round off their campaign.
A 2-1 win away against Freiburg advanced SGS Essen onto 34 points. Back-to-back success for the visitors saw them jump up a spot in the standings to sit in fifth place. Freiburg remain in seventh position on 28 points after they suffered their second loss on the spin.
Viktoria Pinther scored a brace as SC Sand ended a run of two straight reversals with a 4-2 win on home soil against USV Jena. The victory for the eighth-placed side moved them onto 25 points. Bottom-of-the-table USV Jena were unable to build on the gritty draw they gained in their last match to stay on just three points.
In a key relegation fixture, ninth-place Bayer Leverkusen hosted Cologne, the team immediately below them in the table. The two sides each entered play on 14 points with the home side’s goal difference of -26 significantly better than that of their opponents, at -37. In a goal-fest reverse contest back in November, Cologne were able to see out the clock to claim a dramatic 4-3 victory. This time around, the honours went the way of Bayer. Ivana Rudelić netted a brace in the opening 25 minutes, setting a platform for them to gain a 3-1 victory.
Although not mathematically assured of their survival – and with an away trip to Wolfsburg to finish their season off – the hosts should be a part of the top-flight next season, their goal difference being significantly superior to the two teams below in the three-team fight to avoid the drop. The same cannot be said of the visitors as their third straight loss saw them drop into the relegation zone on goal difference. Cologne finish off the season next week with a home game against SC Sand.
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The Offside Rule 
Great piece Martin!
Looking forward to reading your future articles 🙂