With just the four games this week (Potsdam, Wolfsburg, Essen and Leverkusen will play their game in hand in the middle of December) Bayern took the opportunity to go top for the first time this year with Freiburg, Frankfurt and Sand all doing their best to keep pace.

FFC Frankfurt 1-0 MSV Duisburg

After having struggled last time out, a loss in Bavaria less than they deserved, Frankfurt looked set to drop further points at home to Duisburg. Although well on top the hosts repeatedly came up short against a Duisburg side that was determined to dig in, the visitors just doing enough, the hosts just not.

Fatigue inevitably started to take hold and Duisburg were undone with a neat headed flick on from Yūki Ōgimi to Mandy Islacker, last season’s FBL top goalscorer nabbing her seventh of the year as she brought the ball down and struck it low past Lena Nuding. Nuding, coupled with her defence had been staunch throughout but the hosts had consistently lacked the edge of quality required of them, the modest scoreline unfortunately more a reflection on them than their visitors.

SC Sand 1-0 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

In the Black Forest, Sand were looking to keep pace with the top half of the table whilst Hoffenheim looking to be the first out of the bottom five to find their third win of the season but as was to be expected Colin Bell’s Sand came out on top.

After both sides had come close, Nina Burger’s angled shot flashed across the face before Sophie Howard saw her shot saved off of the line at the other end, Isabelle Meyer the one to break the deadlock ten minutes after her shot from 30 yards had dipped just over the bar. With blue shirts swarming forward, Burger’s low cross evaded all in the box, making its’ way through to Meyer to run onto on the far side, driving the shot low past Martina Tufekovic and into the bottom corner.

Hoffenheim can be glad of the account they gave of themselves, the visitors with a handful of chances throughout but unfortunately a way off of the pace against the majority of the teams in the league. Sand the dominant force throughout the game, they’ll be looking to tighten up their finishing to take some of the pressure off later in the season.

SC Freiburg 2-1 USV Jena

In the biggest scoreline of the weekend, Freiburg just got the better of Jena in the last twenty frantic minutes of the game to keep themselves in touching distance of the top two.

After dominating most of the match, the hosts couldn’t find a way past Justien Odeurs until after the hour despite a number of chances for Lina Magull, Carolin Simon and Klara Bühl earlier in the game.

Dolores Silva closest for Jena, her half-volley catching Laura Benkarth out as it flew across goal only to catch the inside of the post and cannon back out, the visitors left to rue the missed opportunity as Freiburg took the lead five minutes later when Janina Minge was left free in the box to chest down a cross and fire into the top corner.

The hosts responded well and restored parity eight minutes later as Susanne Utes nodded Amber Hearn’s flick on past Benkarth but came undone again six minutes later, substitute Selina Wagner snatching the winner as she came onto Vanessa Ziegler’s low cross to blast it into the back of the net from close range.

Bayern München 1-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach

Current Bundesliga champions, Munich found themselves on top of the pile with a narrow win over ‘Gladbach, with their sixth 1-0 of the year, the Bavarians worryingly goal-shy this term. The only goal came through talisman Vivianne Miedema, the young Dutch attacker had the ball on her toe in the box, constantly shifting it from one foot to the other as she was encircled by a green wall, initially unable to find the space to get it out of feet.

The players fading away with each juggle, Pauline Dallmann going low to block but the ball already past both her and into the back of the net. Despite the goal coming so early in the game – in the eighth minute – it wasn’t a signal for the floodgates to open and the hosts found themselves undone more by their own poor finishing than a determined defence.

Christina Bellinghoven called into making a smattering of saves but the keeper who’s been beaten 25 times in nine games had her quietest of the season, even as the hosts had all of the ball. 

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About the author
Sophie Lawson
Neutral football fan travelling around Europe, covering matches and bothering footballers for interviews