Sternad brace in extra time puts Bayer 04 Women through to DFB Pokal Round of 16

Following the late 2-1 win at SC Freiburg, Pätzold made six changes to his starting line-up: Charlotte Voll, Selina Ostermeier, Lumbardha Misini, Loreen Bender, Lobke Loonen and Caroline Kehrer started in place of Rafaela Borggräfe, Lilla Turanyi, Paulina Platner, Vanessa Fudalla, Maja Sternad (all on the bench) and Cornelia Kramer (not in the squad for personal reasons). Goalkeeper Voll, summer signings Misini and Loonen, and Kehrer were therefore in the starting line-up for the first time this season. In addition, the captain Carolin Simon returned to the squad following her muscle injury, initially taking her place on the bench.

atmospheric start

The special cup atmosphere could be felt even before kick-off. More than 2,000 spectators – four times as many as at a typical league match – made their way to Lichterfelde despite the Berlin Marathon. As both teams made their way onto the pitch to the sound of loud drumbeats, a choreographed display could be seen in the packed main stand. FC Viktoria made it unmistakably clear that the club, the players and the fans were looking forward to the clash with the Bundesliga side – and that the second-division leaders did not simply want to serve as sparring partners for Leverkusen. Having secured six wins from their first seven matches, the Berlin side’s confidence was high. So too was the level of experience in the squad: no fewer than 14 players had previously played in the Bundesliga. 

So it came as no surprise to anyone that the match got off to a closely contested start. The Werkself were well aware of the hosts’ strengths and started the match in a controlled manner, without constantly threatening the Viktoria goal. This was partly because, in the opening stages, three Berlin players were constantly lurking up front, thereby increasing the threat of counter-attacks. But Leverkusen did not take the bait; they played with focus and were determined to increase their periods of possession and gradually take control. The first quarter of the match were marked by high tempo, great intensity with few efforts on goal.

It took until the 24th minute before the Werkself created their first good chance in front of the Viktoria goal. A free-kick from Estrella Merino Gonzalez found Paulina Tomasiak at the far post. The striker’s shot was blocked, but Ostermeier, who had pushed forward, got on the end of the ball in the scramble, only to miss the target by a whisker. Although the Bundesliga side’s first significant attacking threat did not change the scoreline, it did alter the flow of the game. Bayer 04 grew in confidence and pressed higher up the pitch – and had another shot on goal just a minute later, but Tomasiak’s effort was saved. Another set-piece then created Leverkusen’s next big chance: Merino Gonzalez delivered the ball into the penalty area, Bender got her head to it and Sofie Zdebel, lurking in front of the Berlin goalkeeper, narrowly missed giving her side the lead (36’). Leverkusen were now in control of the match, playing the better football and could have opened the scoring. However, as Viktoria Berlin defended with great determination and repelled the increasingly fierce waves of attack, the score remained 0–0 at half-time.

tight encounter in second half

The second half began with no changes to the line-up. Bayer 04 skilfully moved the ball around their own ranks against a Berlin side dropping deeper and deeper, but Viktoria continued to defend well and repeatedly managed to block crosses and shots on goal. On the hour mark, Pätzold made a double substitution: Sternad replaced Kehrer, and the former Essen player Natasha Kowalski came on for Bender, making her competitive debut for the Black and Reds. However, it was not until the 70th minute that Bayer 04 posed a threat again. Tomasiak, once again in fine form, broke through down the left flank and passed to the onrushing Zdebel but her shot was saved by Michele Tschudin in the Viktoria goal.

Shortly before the end of the 90 minutes, substitute Marlene Müller suddenly had the chance to seal the win (89'). The Leverkusen player struck the ball hard from 16 metres out, but Tschudin saved this attempt too. The match went into extra time.

The Leverkusen Women needed just three minutes to take what was by now a long-overdue lead: Tomasiak played a fine pass through a gap in the Viktoria Berlin defence to Sternad, who nutmegged Tschudin to make it 1–0. After 100 minutes, Sternad sealed the win with her second goal – this time set up by Kowalski – sparking jubilation and relief on the Leverkusen bench. Shortly before the final whistle, centre-back Emily Wallrabenstein made her debut for the Black and Reds and she helped to secure the victory.

next up: Floodlit home game before international break

The Werkself have one more match before the international break: this Friday, 2 October (18:30 CEST), the Black and Reds start Bundesliga matchday 6 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Tickets for the home match against Werder Bremen are available HERE at the ticket web shop. The DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie will be played between 31 October and 2 November.

Match stats:

FC Viktoria Berlin: Tschudin – Klotz, Stöckmann, Ihlenburg, Höfker – Aydin (Ihlenburg 82’), Schouwstra, Hahn, Polaskova (Casanovas Diaz 73’) - Yavuz (Künzel 73'), Ehegötz (Reuter 65')

Bayer 04: Voll – Merino Gonzalez, Wenger (Wallrabenstein 110’), Ostermeier, Brandau (Simon 75’) - Misini, Zdebel - Bender (Kowalski 60’), Tomasiak - Kehrer (Sternad 60’), Loonen (Müller 71’)

Goals: 0–1 Sternad (93'), 0–2 Sternad (101')

Yellow cards: Schouwstra – Zdebel

Referee: Levke Scholz (Lübeck)

Attendance: 2,033 at the Lichterfelde Stadium