8-1 win in Mönchengladbach: Successful end to part one of the pre-season for the Women's team

"I'm very happy with the first win. We created goals from different situations and that really pleases me. The team showed great intensity and once again great character over the 90 minutes," said Pätzold and he praised team not just for their attacking display: "Even with the score at 8-1, we did everything coming back to prevent conceding another goal. That gives me a lot of confidence in the team. The players have definitely earned the two-week break."

In the final friendly in the first part of the pre-season, the coach had to manage without a number of international players due to the U19 European Championships, a U20 training camp and the final Euro qualifiers. The bench was exclusively made up of youth players in goalkeeper Louisa Remien, Sena Fukumoto, Chiara Kaiser, Pauline Hof, Bibi Hogenboom and Anna-Lena Kuckertz.

Juliette Vidal just signed from RSC Anderlecht, who played in the 1-1 draw in the friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt, was in the starting line-up as were the other three summer signings Katharina Piljić plus Caroline Kehrer and Cornelia Kramer. Vidal and Piljić were in central midfield, Kehrer and Kramer played up front. 

Kögel opens the floodgates

The Bayer 04 Women made a bright start to the match on pitch four at the Borussia Mönchengladbach academy – and were quickly rewarded. After a foul on Janou Levels, Kögel stepped up to convert the penalty (6’). Three minutes later, Julie Jorde put the striker Kramer through. The Gladbach goalkeeper Luisa Palmen pulled off an impressive reflex save to deny a second goal for the visitors playing in light grey. The situation changed shortly after that: A deflected cross from the lively Levels saw Kramer turn skilfully in the box to beat her opponent and fire the ball into the back of the net (14'). 

Despite the two goals conceded, the second division side refused to give up. Carolin Corres used the first dangerous attack to pull a goal back (16'). The game settled down somewhat in the following few minutes with both teams continuing to miss out the midfield. Kramer just missed the chance for her second goal by failing to connect with a cross (26'). The Dane set up the next goal five minutes later: Kramer pushed an accurate pass wide of Palmen leaving Levels with a tap-in (31').

Kögel created the fourth goal by setting up Kramer in the six-yard box. The 21-year-old scored her second goal easily (36’). Sofia Cava Marin almost scored goal number five with five minutes left to play before half-time. Palmen was on her toes to keep out the powerful shot from the right-back. The goalkeeper would have been helpless with a long-range effort from Kehrer that came back off the bar. The Bayer 04 Women took a highly deserved three-goal lead into half-time.

Remien, Fukumoto, Kaiser and Hogenboom came on at the start of the second half but the action on the pitch changed little. The successful move for the fourth goal led to the fifth: a cross from Kögel picked out Kramer who netted her hat-trick goal (52’). Three minutes later, Bragstad headed home from a Jorde corner to make it 6-1.

Kramer was still hungry for more. The striker scored her fourth goal (69') by converting a smart diagonal ball from Cava Marin. Her game was over shortly after that when she was replaced by Hof. Kuckertz was also given a run out. Levels, Piljić and Kehrer,substituted at half-time, were brought back on. Levels missed the target with a long-range effort when she almost scored her second goal (80'). Kögel succeeded shortly after that with a cross that failed to find Kehrer in the middle but the ball flew past the surprised Gladbach keeper to make it 8-1, the final scoreline. .

break up to 26 july

The team now have a two-week break. Training resumes on Friday, 26 July, and that is followed by a summer training camp in Katowice from 29 July to 5 August. That comes before three further friendlies against European opposition. The 2024/25 Bundesliga season starts at the end of August. The Werkself then have a second round DFB Pokal tie a week later.

The Women's team summer timetable is available HERE.

Match stats:

Bayer 04: Repohl (Remien 46') - Cava Marin (Kuckertz 69'), Ostermeier, Bragstad, Levels (Fukumoto 46')- Jorde, Piljić (Hogenboom 46'), Vidal, Kögel - Kramer (Hof 69’), Kehrer (Kaiser 46')

Goals: 0-1 Kögel (6’ pen.), 0-2 Kramer (14’), 1-2 Corres (16’), 1-3 Levels (31’), 1-4 Kramer (36’), 1-5 Kramer (52’), 1-6 Bragstad (55’), 1-7 Kramer (68’), 1-8 Kögel (83’)

Referee: Simon Breuer (Mönchengladbach)

Attendance: 60 at pitch 4 at the Gladbach academy