Bayer 04 Women maintain Champions League hopes with 3-1 win in Potsdam

Bayer 04 Women won 3-1 away at Turbine Potsdam on Friday night to maintain their chances of finishing in the top three and qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Delice Boboy, Cornelia Kramer and Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir struck for the Werkself at the Google Pixel Bundesliga’s bottom club, whose relegation was confirmed with the result. Leverkusen’s 12th win of the campaign took them up to 40 points.

Head coach Roberto Pätzold made two changes to the team that drew 1-1 in the derby with Köln as Katharina Piljic replaced Sofie Zdebel in midfield and Boboy came in for Caroline Kehrer in attack. Bayer 04 dominated from the start and quickly established themselves in the opposition half. The first effort of the evening came from Boboy, who tested goalkeeper Silia Plöchinger from range.

The Werkself kept coming up the right wing and came close to taking the lead when Boboy narrowly missed one of the many crosses from out wide. Although Potsdam defended valiantly, Leverkusen edged ever closer, with a Kramer free-kick from the corner of the penalty area hitting the top of the crossbar midway through the half.

Boboy opens scoring

The deadlock was broken shortly after when Boboy turned her marker after a throw from Janou Levels and curled her fourth goal of the season into the far corner from the left of the box. Things got worse for the home side when Ruby Hahn pulled back Kristin Kögel in midfield and was shown a second yellow with half an hour gone. The Werkself continued to make things happen up the wing. A delivery from Kramer deflected just wide of the near post and the crossbar prevented Boboy from grabbing a second before the break when she turned from a similar position.

Kramer had an opportunity to double the lead after the restart but was unable to beat Plöchinger under pressure following Boboy’s cutback. The Werkself were in control but unable to extend their advantage as Kögel and Selina Ostermeier both tried their luck from outside the box.

Leverkusen were awarded a penalty with an hour gone when Boboy was clipped from behind by Mia Schmid when chasing a corner that bounced back off the post. Kramer stepped up and coolly converted from the spot for her 10th goal of the campaign. Pätzold made a double change as Piljic and Melissa Friedrich made way for Ruby Grant and Lilla Turanyi.

A triple substitution followed into the final quarter of an hour as Julia Mickenhagen, Vilhjalmsdottir and Kehrer replaced Levels, Loreen Bender and Kramer. Another long-range effort from the lively Boboy brought nothing, but Turanyi did have the ball in the net after a flick from Ostermeier, only for the flag to go up for offside. The visitors kept pushing for another goal and got it through Vilhjalmsdottir’s header from Mickenhagen’s corner in the closing minutes. Potsdam substitute Viktoria Schwalm then hit a consolation for the hosts late on.

Last home game against Leipzig

The Werkself have their final home fixture of the season next Saturday as they host RB Leipzig at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion at 12pm CEST. The last game of the campaign is in Wolfsburg the following Sunday at 2pm.

Match stats:

Turbine Potsdam: Plöchinger - Grincenco (Mori 59'), Schmidt (Dommasch 85'), Schmid, Bernhardt, Haering - Hahn, Gnädig, Schneider - Taslidza (Schwalm 46'), Lindner (Stritzke 75')

Bayer 04: Repohl – Merino Gonzalez, Ostermeier, Friedrich (Turanyi 62'), Levels (Mickenhagen 74') – Piljic (Grant 62'), Vidal – Bender (Vilhjalmsdottir 74'), Kögel – Kramer (Kehrer 74'), Boboy

Goals: 0-1 Boboy (26'), 0-2 Kramer (pen, 61'), 0-3 Vilhjalmsdottir (89'), 1-3 Schwalm (90')

Red card: Hahn (31')

Yellow cards: -

Referee: Selina Menzel

Attendance: 864 at the Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion