The Black and Reds headed south without having played a single external friendly. Ahead of the opening fixture, Feifel stressed: "We’ll only get our feedback from our pre-season in Freiburg." Reminded of his statement, the satisfied coach said after the winning the game: "The girls stood up, gave their all and were rewarded for their efforts!"
In the opening stages of the game in front of 100 selected spectators at the Möslestadion, there was no sign of the lack of match practice for the visitors. In their pre-season, Freiburg had three friendlies against Bundesliga rivals and were able to initially take control of the game on their own turf. "We found it a bit difficult at the start. Freiburg gave everything. It was to be expected that we were unable to deal with this intensity given the absence of friendlies in our pre-season," Feifel declared. His team went into half-time 1-0 down. Summer signing Lilla Turanyi was unfortunate to handle the ball in the box and Freiburg's Rebecca Knaak made no mistake from the penalty spot (45+ 1').
The Werkself Women went into half-time having conceded the goal is an unfortunate moment in the game. However, experienced members of the squad led by new captain Jessica Wich plus Feifel and his assistant coach Jacqueline Dünker appeared to find the right words. In the second half, the visitors came back into the game and took control of proceedings – which on this occasion was down to the substitutes. "They were able to significantly increase the level of our game," Feifel declared and he was able to celebrate twice late on.
Substitute Csiszar set up the other substitute Rackow on 87 minutes. The 19-year-old won the ball in the penalty area was able to put the ball away to level the scores. The provider of the assist was then able to score herself shortly after that: Juliane Wirtz squared the ball to the far post for her to net the winning goal. The final whistle came shortly after that and the Bayer 04 Women secured a winning start to the new season. "We did have a bit of luck but in the end it was thoroughly deserved," said the extremely satisfied Feifel.
Immediately after the game, the Werkself Women returned to the Rhineland on the team coach. After a night's rest, Wich and Co. have a regeneration session or light training on Monday. The Leverkusen Women then have their first home game of the new league campaign on Friday, 11 September. The match at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium – unfortunately played behind closed doors – against MSV Duisburg kicks off at 19.15 CET.
Match stats:
SC Freiburg: Nuding – Bürger (Memeti 69'), Hoffmann, Karl, Kayikci, Knaak, Minge, Müller (Sanders 78'), Starke, Steuerwald, Vojtekova
Bayer 04: Klink – Brüggemann, Jessen, Kerschowski (Wirtz 63'), Kögel (Pinther 56'), Matysik (Csiszar 63'), Rudelic, Sahlmann, Turanyi, Wich, Zeller (Rackow 82')
Goals: 1-0 Knaak (45+1’ pen.), 1-1 Rackow (87’), 1-2 Csiszar (90+1’)
Booked: Starke / Brüggemann, Sahlmann
Referee: Fabienne Michel (Gau-Odernheim)
Attendance: 100
Bayer 04 Women have their second straight home game as they close out Matchday 5 in the Google Pixel Bundesliga against Carl Zeiss Jena on Monday. Kick-off at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion is at 6pm CEST, with head coach Roberto Pätzold expecting a defensive-minded opponent while his team look to continue their good form.
Show moreBayer 04 host Bundesliga newcomers at the BayArena for Matchday 6 on Saturday (kick-off: 3.30pm CEST) in a game where the club will mark its 120th anniversary with a special-edition kit. Speaking at his press conference ahead of the game, Xabi Alonso talked about how his team will approach the fixture with the right mentality and required respect for the opposition.
Show moreThe German double winners’ special-edition jersey to mark the club’s 120th anniversary is reminiscent of the first kit worn by players back in the 1907/08 season. The jersey, which the Werkself will wear for the Bundesliga home game against Holstein Kiel on Saturday, 5 October and which has been met with enthusiasm by the players, has numerous special features relating to the club's history, including an NFC chip that leads to exclusive content when scanned with a smartphone.
Show moreBundesliga debutants Holstein Kiel come to the BayArena on Saturday, 5 October (kick-off: 3.30pm CEST) looking to improve on their defensive record up against the Werkself after a tough start to the season. No team has conceded more goals so far than the promoted side. Learn more about our next opponents here…
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