Following on from the postponements last week, both Jena vs Duisburg and Essen vs Freiburg were called off due to the weather leaving both SGS and USV with two in hand, a further four one match off of the pace.
In the matches that went ahead, Potsdam avoided a scare against Sand before Hoffenheim claimed their sixth win of the season, much to Bremen’s chagrin as Munich hit Frankfurt for three and Wolfsburg furthered FCK’s misery.
SC Sand 1-2 Turbine Potsdam
Despite having had the better of it from open play, the Turbines found themselves wanting when it came to producing a clinical finish, the clock ticked down to half-time with the two looking like they’d be going in deadlocked. However, a neat cross from Svenja Huth was seized upon by Sarah Zadrazil, the Austrian international taking a touch to bring it down and away from Diane Caldwell before sweeping her leg at it and tucking it inside of the near post 18 seconds before the break.
Five minutes after Tabea Kemme saw her header cannon off of the bar the visitors were given a golden chance to double their lead when Huth went tumbling in the box after slight contact from Verena Aschauer. Franziska Wildfeuer quick to blow up point to the spot, Rahel Kiwic confident from 12-yards to send Carina Schlüter the wrong way and leave Sand with it all to do.
The host were left frustrated 20 minutes from time when Milena Nikolić’s towering header pinged off of the bar, bouncing off of the turf to catch the inside of the upright and still, somehow stay out before Amanda Ilestedt cleared the danger. Though Sand finally had their goal two minutes later, Nina Burger’s plumb header enough to send Aschauer’s free kick home without catching the woodwork. The lone goal not enough to change the result.
1899 Hoffenheim 2-0 Werder Bremen
One of the surprise packages of the season, TSG grabbed their sixth win of the season at home to Werder to leave them bang in the middle of the table going into the break.
Nicole Billa’s opener five minutes before the break, one Anneke Borbe won’t want to see again, the ‘keeper able to keep the initial shot out though her inability to grasp the ball left Billa with a second bite of the cherry. The pair getting in a muddle as Billa’s instant rebound caught Borbe’s boots, the Austrian reverting to almost-walking the ball in as Katharina Schiechtl attempted to get back but all too late.
Fabienne Dongus was denied Hoffenheim’s second just before the hour when she poked home Stephanie Breitner’s rebounded effort, the flag aloft for a questionable offside. The decision easily could have cost the hosts when Bremen went forward seconds later, the visitors stringing passes together in the box by Friederike Abt alert to make a double-save and keep her team ahead. Billa refused a second of her own nine minutes from time when she latched onto an Isabella Hartig shot from range that like Breitner’s had bounced off of the bar, the flag raised once again.
Again Bremen went forward immediately afterwards, Cindy König denied by the upright, the game put to bed when substitute Tabea Waßmuth knocked Billa’s short ball home at the second time of asking.
FC Köln 0-6 VfL Wolfsburg
On the back off 8-0 and 7-0 losses, Köln did well to keep the table-toppers and reigning champions out for the entirety of the first-half, a neat ball from Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir enough to send Pernille Harder on her way five minutes into the second half. The Dane’s neat flick saw her slip past the defence and extend her right boot at the ball, easing it past Claudia Hoffmann with one light swoop.
With the door open, the Wolves rushed through, Babett Peter on hand to nod Lena Goeßling’s lofted pass home just three minutes after the opener. Two became three in the blink of an eye, Harder’s one-two with Ewa Pajor setting herself up to fire the ball low into the far corner to have the visitors three goals to the good inside of an hour.
The fourth goal fired home twelve minutes later, again Goeßling involved in the build-up and again Harder found the far side of the goal from the right side of the box, the Dane clinical as she closed out her hat trick. Just two minutes later, 20-year-old Hoffmann was picking the ball out of her goal again, Harder’s fourth the second header conceded by the Billy Goats, the attacker guilty of being left in far too much space.
Even with Harder off of the pitch, FCK’s job didn’t get any easier, Caroline Graham Hansen the one to fire in the sixth and final goal of the game, the Norwegian relaxed as she placed the ball into the oft used left side of the net. The thumping win enough to keep Wolfsburg top going into the winter break, the team with the most wins, most goals scored and fewest conceded. Despite their gruelling return to the top flight, Köln finish the year clear of the bottom two but knowing they’ll be asked plenty of questions in 2018.
Bayern München 3-0 FFC Frankfurt
Set to be one of the matches of the weekend, the hosts took the lead ten minutes before the break when Nicole Rolser brought Sara Däbritz’ looped pass under control just outside of the box, the diminutive midfielder carrying the ball forward before firing it home. The hosts doubled the advantage fifteen minutes before time when Gina Lewandowski chested Verena Faißt’s corner towards the goal, the ball bouncing from the post to Margarita Gidion lofted foot as the defender attempted to clear it off of the line.
With little room for FFC to get back into the game, Munich made sure of the result five minutes later when Jill Roord – who’d already been denied by a fine double-save from Bryane Heaberlin – hammered Faißt’s square pass home. The win enough to ensure the Bavarians go into the break second in the table with chasing Freiburg two points adrift with a game in hand.
