Zdebel's first goal puts Women through to the DFB Pokal quarter-finals

Compared with the 1-0 win at RB Leipzig, Pätzold made two changes to the starting line-up. Up front, Delice Boboy, who provided the assist in Leipzig for the late winner scored by Kristin Kögel, made her first start with Caroline Kehrer dropping down to the bench. There was also a change in central defence with Emilie Bragstad coming into the team in place of Selina Ostermeier.

Fischer prevents Werkself taking the lead

The hosts made a dominant start at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium with full-back Janou Levels having the first attempt on goal with a shot from a central position that the Turbine goalkeeper Vanessa Fischer saved (4'). A minute later, a header by Cornelia Kramer from a Kögel cross was kept out by the keeper. At the other end, Potsdam threatened the Werkself goal but Friederike Repohl did not have to intervene (10'). It was different for her opposite number in the Potsdam net: Fischer held up her arms at the right time to save a header by Kramer from another Kögel cross (17').

In steady rain, play in the first 45 minutes was almost exclusively in the Potsdam half. Turbine sat back and waited to play on the counter-attack with the Werkself again and again running into a packed defence. Boboy had the biggest chance up to that point. The 18-year-old received a through ball from Bragstad but she just missed out on opening the scoring on the half-hour mark with a shot going just wide of the target. Fischer was called into action five minutes later to keep out another effort from Boboy. A pass from Levels found Boboy but this time the striker’s shot was turned away for a corner (38'). Just before half-time, Levels had a double chance to score the deserved opener (41'). Kramer was suddenly through after an error in the visitors defence but she fired the ball just over the bar (44'). Turbine Potsdam were fortunate to go into half-time with the scoreline at 0-0.

The second half initially provided a similar spectacle: The Bayer 04 Women pressed for the opener with Turbine Potsdam defending with great passion. First, Kögel and shortly after that Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir missed the chance to make it 1-0 (51’) and then a corner went past a large number of defender's legs and the post (53').

After another Boboy effort, the next big chance fell to Kramer: An accurate cross from Levels was put just wide of the post by the Danish striker from close range (58'). The Leverkusen Women then had the visitors pinned back in their own half. Full-back Estrella Merino Gonzalez tried her luck from a tight angle but the ball was tipped over the bar by Fischer (64').

Pätzold then made his first substitution. Shen Menglu replaced Vilhjalmsdottir (67’). Her teammates then just carried on as before: Levels tried a curler from the edge of the penalty area on the left. The deadlock was then broken just before the final 15 minutes of the game. Levels put Zdebel through on goal and she hit a low shot into the back of the net to make it 1-0 (74') – her first goal in 59 games for the Black and Reds.

For the final few minutes, the Leverkusen coach brought on Juliette Vidal and Caroline Kehrer for Katharina Piljic and the eye-catching Boboy. Shortly after that, the Potsdam defender Jennifer Cramer brought down the substitute Vidal and was rightly shown a second yellow card (83'). Turbine Potsdam endeavoured to level but the Werkself defence gave nothing away.

international break - quarter finals in FEBRUARy

A lot of Leverkusen Women's team players are on international duty in the coming days. The Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga takes a break next weekend due to the international fixtures. The Werkself return to action on Friday, 6 December (kick-off: 18.00 CET) at the start of Matchday 11 with the top match against league leaders VfL Wolfsburg at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Tickets for the game are available HERE from the online Bayer 04 ticket shop. The DFB Pokal quarter-final ties will be drawn live on ZDF on 15 December. The matches will be played between 11 and 13 February 2025.

Match stats:

Bayer 04: Repohl - Merino Gonzalez, Bragstad, Turanyi, Levels (Mickenhagen 90+2’) - Zdebel (Daedelow 90+2’), Piljic (Vidal 81’) - Vilhjalmsdottir (Menglu 67’), Kögel - Kramer, Boboy (Kehrer 81’)

Turbine Potsdam: Fischer - Schmid, Kuznezov, Vianden, Bernhardt, Cramer - Hahn - Ito, Krawczyk - Taslidza, Limani

Goals: 1-0 Zdebel (74’)

Sent off: Cramer (83’, persistent foul play)

Yellow cards: Mülder (fitness coach) - Krawczyk, Limani

Referee: Nadine Westerhoff (Bochum)

Attendance: 838 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium