Bayer 04 Women end record season with 3-1 loss in Wolfsburg

Pätzold made two changes to the team from last week’s 1-0 win over RB Leipzig as Sofie Zdebel came in for Juliette Vidal in midfield and Ruby Grant started for the ill Kristin Kögel on the left wing. After saying goodbye to 10 players before kick-off, Wolfsburg made a blistering start to the game. Sveindis Jonsdottir pounced on a Leverkusen mistake to set up Jule Brand, whose attempted nutmeg of goalkeeper Friederike Repohl trickled towards the line, only for Brand to tap it in at the second attempt with only four minutes gone. The She-Wolves doubled their advantage after eight minutes when Brand and Jonsdottir reversed roles for the latter to tap into an empty net.

A poor start

The hosts didn’t let up and Vivien Endemann’s long-range effort forced Repohl into a good save, only for Caitlin Dijkstra to head in Justine Kielland’s resulting corner for the third goal inside 14 minutes. Leverkusen had their first moment in attack as a Kramer effort from 18 yards went wide. The Werkself slowly found their feet and put the early wobble behind them. Loreen Bender found Kramer with a lovely outside-of-the-boot pass, but Anneke Borbe in the Wolfsburg goal denied the Dane. A strike from Estrella Merino Gonzalez was blocked as the visitors pushed for a way back in. Bender found Kramer once more with a cross from the right, but the resulting header again failed to hit the target as it remained 3-0 going into the break.

Pätzold made a half-time change with the introduction of Delice Boboy for Bender as the second period started in a much more measured manner than the first with fewer chances. Repohl was called into action again on the hour to deny Endemann. Vidal and Paulina Bartz replaced Zdebel and Grant shortly after as Wolfsburg enjoyed a spell of pressure, but again Repohl was equal to a Brand effort. At the other end, Kramer fired a free-kick into the wall.

The Werkself finally got their reward with a quarter of an hour remaining as Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir’s pass found Kramer, who cooly beat Borbe for her 12th goal of the season. Janou Levels completed her final appearance for Leverkusen shortly after, ahead of her summer switch to Wolfsburg, as she was replaced late on by Julia Mickenhagen. Bayer 04 tried to get one more back to close out the season but it finished 3-1.

Holiday to mid-June before two-part pre-season

The team will return home from Wolfsburg on Monday before embarking on a six-week holiday. Pätzold will welcome his squad back to training at Kurtekotten on Monday, 23 June. They will then have another break between 20 July and 3 August before getting back to work ahead of the start of the new Bundesliga season on the weekend of 6-8 September.

Match stats:

Wolfsburg: Borbe - Wedemeyer, Dijkstra (Hegering 66'), Hendrich, Linder (Wilms 57') - Peddemors, Minge, Kielland (Lattwein 57') - Endemann (Sellner 66'), Jonsdottir, Brand

Bayer 04: Repohl – Merino Gonzalez, Ostermeier, Turanyi, Levels (Mickenhagen 79') – Piljic (Friedrich 86'), Zdebel (Vidal 67')– Bender (Boboy 46'), Grant (Bartz 67') – Kramer, Vilhjalmsdottir

Goals: 1-0 Brand (4'), 2-0 Jonsdottir (8'), 3-0 Dijkstra (14'), 1-3 Kramer (75')

Yellow cards: Grant, Mickenhagen

Referee: Miriam Schwermer

Attendance: 4,145 at the AOK Stadion