VfL Wolfsburg Women suffered a painful 2-1 loss against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Friday evening. The Green-and-Whites struggled to get going in the first half and fell behind in the 21st minute when Pauline Krumbiegel opened the scoring for the hosts. The She-Wolves were much improved after the break and began to dominate, but despite creating a number of chances it was Hoffenheim who scored next when they converted from the penalty spot in the 70th minute. Nevertheless, VfL continued to push forward and deservedly reduced the deficit in the 88th minute through Jule Brand. They threw everything into attack in search of an equaliser but were unable to find one before the final whistle. VfL returned straight back to Wolfsburg after full time and will need to digest the disappointment of the defeat quickly, as they host Bayern Munich on Saturday 23 March at 17:45 CET. Over 20,000 tickets have already been sold for the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga Matchday 17 encounter at the Volkswagen Arena.
Goals
- 1-0 Krumbiegel (21’): Oh no! Janssen tries to clear the ball inside the penalty area but Krumbiegel gets there first and takes a shot at goal. It takes a deflection, leaving Frohms no chance.
- 2-0 Specht (pen. 70’): The ball hits Hegering’s arm inside the box and referee Annika Kost points straight to the spot. Specht hits it low inside the bottom-left corner.
- 2-1 Brand (88’): Finally, VfL pull a goal back. Jonsdottir delivers one of her long throw-ins into the Hoffenheim penalty area, where Kalma flicks it on for Brand, who heads home.
Reaction
Tommy Stroot: “What made the difference today was that we weren’t clinical enough. We didn’t take our chances and were lacking precision in attack. We tried everything until the end but we weren’t able to return home with a different result.”
Line-ups and stats
VfL Wolfsburg: Frohms – Wedemeyer (74’ Wilms), Hendrich, Hegering (83‘ Küver), Janssen – Huth, Oberdorf, Hagel (74‘ Endemann) – Jonsdottir, Popp (34‘ Kalma), Brand
Subs: Schmitz (GK), Borbe (GK), Rabano, Demann, Xhemaili
TSG Hoffenheim: Tufekovic – Krumbiegel, Cazalla, Specht, Linder – Harsch, Dongus (71‘ Diehm), Alber (82‘ Doorn) – Hickelsberger (57‘ Janssens), Kössler (71‘ Corley), Memeti
Subs: Dick (GK), Maier, Diehm, Feldkamp, Billa
Goals: 1-0 Krumbiegel (21‘), 2-0 Specht (70‘, pen), 2-1 Brand (88‘)
Yellow cards: Harsch (2) / Brand, Hegering, Oberdorf
Yellow-red card: Harsch (77‘)
Referee: Annika Kost (Holzwickede)
Attendance: 2,200 at Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion, Hoffenheim
