6.12.2024Women

Bayer 04 Women knock Wolfsburg off top spot with 1-0 win

Bayer 04 Women produced an excellent performance to beat Wolfsburg 1-0 at home on Friday night and knock the She-Wolves off top spot in the Google Pixel Bundesliga as the season reached its halfway stage. Cornelia Kramer got the only goal early in the second half in front of a crowd of 1,510 at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. The result makes it five straight wins in all competitions for Leverkusen, who go top overnight on 26 points – the best total in the club’s history from the first half of a Bundesliga season – ahead of the DFB Pokal holders with 25.

Coach Roberto Pätzold made three changes to his team from the 1-0 win over Turbine Potsdam in the DFB Pokal round of 16 two weeks ago, as Selina Ostermeier, the fit-again Loreen Bender and Caroline Kehrer came in for Emilie Bragstad, Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir and Delice Boboy. Prior to kick-off, Bender received her gold U19 Fritz Walter Medal from German FA sporting director Nia Künzer and U20 coach Kathrin Peter.

Visitors dominate early stages

Wolfsburg had the first chance of the game when Marina Hegering put a header wide inside three minutes. The visitors controlled the play after that, but the Werkself allowed them nothing in front of goal. Most chances on the counter came through Kehrer, while the first effort came from Bender, but her shot lacked the power to trouble Merle Frohms. The early dominance of the She-Wolves faded as the first half wore on.

Kehrer than had a great double chance before the break to open the scoring. First she was denied by the crossbar after getting on the end of a Bender pass, before Frohms produced a good diving save to push the rebound wide as it remained goalless at the break.

The Werkself kept up that late momentum as they came out from the second half and struck just two minutes after the restart. Wolfsburg defender Kathy Hendrich misjudged a high ball into the box, with Kramer reacting quickest to slot past Frohms for her sixth goal of the season. The goal seemed to spark the game into life, with Friederike Repohl twice called into action to deny a long-range Hegering effort and a follow-up from Svenja Huth. Just after that, Janou Levels struck the post from left of centre.

Wolfsburg threw all they had for an equaliser, but it was the Werkself who had the next good chance. Kehrer tried to round Frohms but was held up. Kramer then came within inches of putting away a second from Kehrer’s ball into the area. Bayer 04 remained active instead of sitting back, looking to break at pace when possible. Boboy came on for Kramer to add fresh legs in the closing minutes as a passionate performance allowed the Werkself to see out the result and move top of the table, at least overnight.

Freiburg to begin second half of season

The second half of the season begins next week as Pätzold’s side welcome Freiburg to the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion for the final game of the calendar year on Saturday, 14 December (2pm CET). That is followed by the winter break before the campaign resumes away at Eintracht Frankfurt in the first week of February. The date and time for that game is yet to be confirmed.

Match stats:

Bayer 04: Repohl - Merino Gonzalez, Ostermeier, Turanyi, Levels - Zdebel (Vidal 90'+1), Piljic - Bender (Vilhjalmsdottir 72'), Kögel - Kramer (Boboy 84'), Kehrer (Bragstad 90'+1)

Wolfsburg: Frohms - Hendrich (Dijkstra 64'), Minge, Hegering - Wilms, Huth, Lattwein, Linder - Endemann (Beerensteyn 57'), Popp, Jonsdottir (Blomqvist 81')

Goal: 1-0 Kramer (47')

Yellow cards: Piljic, Turanyi, Ostermeier

Referee: Karoline Wacker

Attendance: 1,510 at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion

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