With the weather leaving pitches unplayable in Germany at the end of 2017, both MSV Duisburg and SGS Essen found themselves with two matches in hand to be played before the restart of the Frauen-Bundesliga season. The Esseners with more joy over their two than Duisburg who are still looking for their first point of the season.
SGS Essen
Against a SC Freiburg side eying the top spot, Essen took no joy from their first match of the year, a goal down half way through the first half as they failed to clear a corner. Kept alive by Anja Hegenauer, Sandra Starke flicked the ball out of her feet as the defence closed around her for it to be swept into the empty side of the net by Lena Petermann.
Having come out to claim but missing the ball, there was little Kim Sindermann could do as Starke’s shot rebounded off of the woodwork for Giulia Gwinn to poke home. The seventeen-year-old forced to pick the ball out of the net once more when Lena Magull sent her the wrong-way at a 73 minute penalty.
Away to FFC Frankfurt, Essen faired better and saw the better chances across the match, the visitors constantly struggling to get the better of Desirée Schumann. With the match all but done and the two sides on course to share the spoils, Linda Dallmann found a moment of magic in stoppage time to whip the ball into the far side of the net, just beyond Schumann’s reach. The three points taking the side from Essen up to seventh in the table, Frankfurt suffering their third loss in four games.
MSV Duisburg
Having a quite miserable time of it this season, little has gone right for MSV, their two games in hand the chance for the side from Duisburg to dig out their first win of the season. However, it wasn’t to be for the team dead-last in the league, Milena Nikolić’s jumping header seven minutes before the break ensured the hosts went in on the back-foot to SC Sand. Already undone at a corner, a subsequent one after the break proved to be the nail in the coffin for MSV as Verena Aschauer’s header clipped the inside of the post and slipped home to double the advantage. The loss only the second time Duisburg had lost by more than one goal this season, until the next time out.
Struggling in front of goal, Christian Franz-Pohlmann’s side had been defensively resolute all season, having only conceded 14 goals over the first half of the season – the sixth lowest in the league of twelve. Against fellow strugglers USV Jena most would have expected a close game as neither team had a win to show in their first 11 games of the season but it was USV who ran away with the tie.
Having scuffed a chance to take an early lead the host showed their own frailties at the back when Jessica King was allowed space to get her shot away, Lena Nuding’s block dropping perfectly for Susann Utes to lash home. The lead doubled late in the game when Amelia Pietrangelo found space in the box to slot her shot under Virginia Kirchberger and into the far corner. The match capped off in stoppage time when Lisa Seiler added a third and final goal, played through, the substitute swept the ball under the advanced ‘keeper and into the back of the net for MSV’s biggest loss of the season.
