New Delhi: Is the VfL Wolfsburg renaissance on, or did it come to a screeching halt with a limp display against Lyon in the Women’s Champions League just days ago? No matter where the She-Wolves realistically aim for this season, but for the moment they stand third in the Women’s Bundesliga table, with a largely fuss-free victory at SGS Essen tightening the top-three within just two points.
For all their dominance, it was the visitors who cheaply gave away the first big opportunity of the tie to SGS Essen forward Ramona Maier, with Wolfsburg keeper Merle Frohms smothering any danger. From there the She-Wolves planted their flag deep in enemy territory, with Minge, unmarked, converting from a corner kick. Essen’s topscorer Natasha Kowalski was found forcing the door in the second half, only for Lineth Beerensteyn to snatch the crucial second in the 72nd minute.
Essen open door and gift Minge first goal in green
In just seven days, the She-Wolves must’ve experienced an entire spectrum of emotions. First came the 2-0 league victory against Bayern Munich, a carefully-concocted tactical masterclass far from the realms of a fluke. How do you follow that up, especially against last season’s Champions League finalists in Lyon? Wolfsburg wrote “a mostly underwhelming performance” and received a 2-0 loss by Prof. Fate. A crueler twist was withheld, when the iconic Alexandra Popp initially looked to have suffered a serious injury, but later allayed fears of the same.
Flash forward to Sunday, and Popp had to settle for a place on the bench and a front seat display of the young attacking riches on both sides. One of them, Essen’s Natasha Kowalski, with four goals scored this season, still stands alongside the Bayern duo of Georgia Stanway and Pernille Harder, but was kept quiet as the visitors assumed the reigns from the outset.
First it was Vivien Endemann, who couldn’t control a low cross quick enough to test the Essen keeper Sophia Winkler. The 21 year-old was kept on her toes twice again; forward Sveindis Jane Jonsdottir’s cross hit the crossbar, before Lineth Beerensteyn capitalized on a loose ball, only denied a clear chance through a last-gasp block from Essen centerhalf Laura Pucks.
Disaster almost struck when Essen winger Laureta Elmazi’s cross-field pass was inadvertently deflected by Wolfburg’s Sarai Linder, right into the path of Ramona Maier, whose heavy touch betrayed her and allowed Wolfsburg no. 1 Merle Frohms to clean things up.
90+3′ SIEG in Essen! Wir gewinnen dank einer sehr überzeugenden Leistung mit 2:0. Das war stark heute!🦾👏#VfLWolfsburg #VfLWolfsburgFrauen #Wölfinnen #SGSWOB pic.twitter.com/Xkg2BlW3RK
— VfL Wolfsburg Frauen (@VfL_Frauen) October 20, 2024
With some scuffed chances from Lena Lattwein and Endemann all sprouting from the six-yard box, a goal for the visitors was more than overdue. It was delivered in the 22nd minute via a corner kick. Essen’s marking scheme was puzzling, especially when Janina Minge was allowed to simply drift in front of goal unmarked and nudge home Svenja Huth’s cross.
Disappointment spilled from the seams when in the 33rd minute, Essen defender Vanessa Fürst found winger Lilli Putscheller with a diagonal. She would find Maier in the box, who in attempting to turn away from Minge, appeared to be brought to the floor. The home crowd was instantly incensed, with Essen head coach Markus Högner booked when the referee refused to point to the penalty spot.
Beerensteyn gets taste for goals with Popp sidelined
72′ Da ist das überfällige 2:0! Sveni Huth erobert im Mittelfeld super den Ball, marschiert dann in Richtung 16er und spielt im richtigen Moment ab zu Lineth Beerensteyn. Die legt den Ball nochmal quer und schiebt dann ein. Super!👏#VfLWolfsburg #VfLWolfsburgFrauen #Wölfinnen… pic.twitter.com/RIB76hiOq5
— VfL Wolfsburg Frauen (@VfL_Frauen) October 20, 2024
Essen managed to swim upto the surface early in the second half, evident in them keeping a better hold of the ball. The creativity well was still dry, except for Natasha Kowalski, with the young talisman picking up the ball from outside the box in the 52nd minute and driving goalwards with electricity in her feet. Her weak shot hardly troubled Frohms, and suddenly the hosts’ fire was brought to a simmer.
Again, Wolfsburg racked up the chances, but beat the bush when it came to sealing said chances. Minge’s close-range header in the 54th minute felt decisive for all the wrong reasons, as it blocked Lattwein’s headed effort on goal from a set-piece. It was then Essen’s turn to gift a goal to the visitors, when midfielder Annalena Rieke’s sloppy back pass set up Jonsdottir one-on-one against Winkler, only for her audacity in trying to round the keeper to quell the potential decider.
By the time Lattwein’s shot was shielded immediately after it left her foot in the 65th minute, questions about profligacy must’ve been raised. They were put down in the 72nd minute, when Huth intercepted a pass and drove forward. Instead of rushing a pass wide to Endemann, she waited for the closer path to Beerensteyn to open its maws. The reverse pass eventually came, setting up the Dutch forward to hammer her shot into the bottom-left corner.
Essen could be allowed to rue a penalty not given, but should’ve felt pretty chuffed when Beerensteyn, through on goal, chose to ride Rieke’s challenge before seeing her shot smothered by a rushing Winkler.
