The ninth week of the 2017-18 Frauen-Bundesliga season saw leaders Freiburg slip up at home to Frankfurt with Wolfsburg reclaiming the top spot with a win away to Essen as Munich sprung into second with a strong second half against Bremen.

Elsewhere, Sand and Hoffenheim recorded respective home wins over struggling Jena and Duisburg as Potsdam grabbed their third win of the season with a damning 8-0 in Köln.  

SC Sand 1-0 USV Jena

Enjoying a profitable season, Sand saw the better of the chances at the Orsay-Stadion on Sunday, though nothing seemed to be hitting the back of the net, the hosts frustrations mounting when Anne van Bonn lashed her spot-kick against the upright. On their way to what would have been their second point of the season, Jena succumbed late in the day, when substitute Milena Nikolić volleyed home seven minutes from time to see Sand close the game on Essen to just one point.  

TSG Hoffenheim 1-0 MSV Duisburg

The narrow win at home to the still pointless Duisburg was enough to see TSG up to sixth, Stephanie Breitner’s 45th minute penalty the difference come full time, MSV with nothing to show for all their chances, their winless run continues.

Bayern München 4-1 Werder Bremen

Verena Volkmer’s 23rd minute goal could have provided the shock of the weekend when the 21-year-old touched Pia-Sophie Wolter’s square ball beyond Manuela Zinsberger, though the Bavarians had other ideas. From a relatively comfortable position, Bremen were hit for three in six minutes to hand all three points to the hosts, Mandy Islacker’s cheeky flick to beat Anneke Borbe by to her near-post the catalyst. Jill Roord’s neat header saw Munich take the advantage three minutes later before Islacker grabbed her second of the game, curling the ball around Borbe from 13-yards.

Munich had the perfect chance to make it four just three minutes after their third but were left frustrated as the ball bounced off of the woodwork twice in the space of seconds, the fourth finally, clinically, put away by Jovana Damnjanović at the death.

Though the Bavarians didn’t see any points dropped, Volkmer’s goal has arguably cost them this week as they sit second, a scant goal behind the Wolves.

SC Freiburg 0-3 FFC Frankfurt

The team on top at the Möslestadion, SCF were made to pay for not capitalising on their chances as Frankfurt remained clinical throughout to come away with all three points and a healthy three goals, FFC still an improving force under Niko Arnautis.

Kathrin Hendrich took advantage of some slack defending to slip around the vacant right side of the defence and latch onto Jackie Groenen’s through ball before slipping it around Laura Benkarth to give the visitors the lead just before the break. Groenen was involved again twenty minutes from time when she flicked the ball on for Kumi Yokoyama to head into the unguarded goal and leave Freiburg with little way back. The match put to bed eight minutes from time when the Dutch international took a neat touch in the box, to get the better of the four defenders engulfing her and fire Ana-Maria Crnogorčević’s deft ball around Benkarth.

FC Köln 0-8 Turbine Potsdam

After six consecutive draws, Potsdam finally found their third win of the season as the floodgates opened at the Kölner Südstadion, the Billygoats unable to patch the leak.

Teenager Viktoria Schwalm grabbed a quick brace with two goals inside of the first sixteen minutes, Anne-Kathrine Kremer caught out from 20-yards before dashing out to the left side of the box, Schwalm’s angled effort left to bounce into the empty goal. The goals continued to flow through the first-half, Tabea Kemme next to make the hosts pay with a swept effort after cutting around her marker before Sarah Zadrazil bagged her first of the season and Kemme added a fifth just before the break.

With the game already won, the day got worse for the hosts when Kremer punched Svenja Huth’s whipped corner into her own net three minutes after the restart. Schwalm wrapped up her most explosive senior match with a third to complete her hattrick just before the hour, the defence ripped apart of the 29th time this season. The nail hammered into the coffin by Rahel Kiwic seven minutes from time when she wriggled away in the box before slamming the ball home for her second in two.

The loss rather sees the wind taken out of FCK’s sails after back-to-back wins against struggling Jena and Duisburg in their last two, the tough realities of the league brought back to the promoted side.

SGS Essen 0-4 VfL Wolfsburg

Showing little fatigue from their midweek Champions League clash, Wolfsburg took the lead just thirteen minutes in in Essen, Ewa Pajor’s solo goal more than enough to beat the home defence and Lisa Weiß. Fresh and in fine form after her European brace on Thursday, Tessa Wullaert nudged home Noëlle Maritz’ square pass to double the lead before the half hour and keep SGS at arm’s length.

Another to have scored in the week, Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir nabbed her first league goal of the seasons just before the hour when she hammered her header home following Alex Popp’s lofted free kick that had been headed back across goal by Pernille Harder. With the win alone not enough, Popp’s 85th low strike was enough to see Wolfsburg return to the top spot, just one goal scored ahead of second-placed Munich.  

FBL table as it stands (Credit: DFB)
FBL table as it stands (Credit: DFB)
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About the author
Sophie Lawson
Neutral football fan travelling around Europe, covering matches and bothering footballers for interviews