Women suffer 5-1 defeat at home to Potsdam

The visitors made the better start to the game and were able to take the lead with the first chance of the match: Marie-Therese Höbinger broke through into the penalty area and slotted the ball into the net to put Turbine 1-0 up (5’). Potsdam remained on top but were rarely able to create further goalscoring opportunities. Just after the half-hour mark, Dora Zeller held Klara Cahynove as she dribbled into the Bayer 04 penalty area – referee Sina Diekmann awarded a penalty and Johanna Elsig converted to double the lead for Potsdam (28’). Bayer 04 pressed forward in search of a goal to get back into the game and were able to threaten the opposition goal but Milena Nikolic was unable to score (39’, 40’). At the other end, the visitors were clinical – and they increased the lead through Höbinger (44’) and Sophie Weidauer (45+1’) before half-time.

“If you’re 4-0 down at half-time then you can’t sugar-coat it. We weren’t able to compete in the first half. We weren’t able to put pressure on the ball and we gave Potsdam far too much space. We were always one step behind and too passive in crucial situations,” said Feifel in assessing his team’s first half performance.

Zeller pulls A GOAL back

Feifel reacted by making three changes at the break: Henrike Sahlmann, Pauline Machtens and Ann-Kathrin Vinken replaced Jessica Wich, Isabel Kerschowski and Milena Nikolic. But little changed in the course of the game and Potsdam were able to go 5-0 up with the first chance in the second 45: Anna Mesjasz was through in the box and left Klink without a chance with a header (47’). Shortly after that, Zeller rewarded the attacking efforts of the Leverkusen women: From a long ball, the Hungary international beat two opponents and curled her shot into the net at the far past – 1-5 (54’). The pace of the game increasingly eased off and Potsdam did not concede any clear-cut chances.

“In the dressing room, we decided to do all we could to stand up to them. We wanted to make amends for the score at half time. And, of course, it’s a real blow when the fifth goal goes in two minutes after the restart,” declared Feifel.

Important game against Jena

The next double-fixture week for Bayer 04 is here: The Black and Reds are away to bottom-of-the-table FF USV Jena on Wednesday. A win against the team from Thüringia would bring the Werkself Women three important points in the battle against relegation. “The game won’t be easy. Jena have nothing to lose and can play with freedom. We have to win this game to stay in the league,” said Feifel in setting out the approach to the game.

Match stats:
Bayer 04: Klink – Barth, Wirtz, Jessen, Kerschowski (Sahlmann 46’) – Wich (Vinken 46’), Uebach (Rackow 57’), Csiszar, Zeller – Rudelic (Reger 71’), Nikolic (Machtens 46’)
Turbine Potsdam: Mersnik – Mesjasz, Elsig, Schmidt (Dieckmann 58’), Zadrazil (Lindner 74’) – Graf, Höbinger (Rohde 85’), Cahynova, Schwalm (Bahnemann 85’) – Weidauer, Ehegötz (Chmielinski 46’)
Goals: 0-1 Höbinger (5’), 0-2 Elsig (28’ pen.), 0-3 Höbinger (44’), 0-4 Weidauer (45+1’), 0-5 Mesjasz (47’), 1-5 Zeller (54’)
Booked: Wich / -
Referee: Sina Diekmann (Dortmund)