VfL Wolfsburg Women didn’t manage to pull off a footballing miracle, but they certainly gave the big favourites a scare. Head coach Tommy Stroot’s side beat holders FC Barcelona 2-0 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final second leg on Saturday evening, but were knocked out of the competition on aggregate following the 5-1 defeat in the first leg.
Tabea Waßmuth (47’) and Jill Roord (59’) scored the goals for the battling She-Wolves, in front of a crowd of 22,057 at the Volkswagen Arena – a record home attendance for VfL Women. Their focus now returns to maintaining their position at the top of the FLYERALARM Women’s Bundesliga, where they’re next in action on Wednesday 4 May (kick-off 19:15 CEST) with the rearranged match against SGS Essen.
Goals
- 1-0 Waßmuth (47th minute): After a free-kick is parried, Sveindis Jonsdottir doggedly follows it up. When the ball falls kindly for Waßmuth, she fires a left-footed shot into the left corner from 18 metres. The Green-and-Whites lead!
- 2-0 Roord (60th minute): This is getting interesting! Roord drives the ball forward from midfield, lets fly and gloriously finds the bottom left of the goal. Could something still happen here?
Coach’s reaction
Tommy Stroot: “Despite being eliminated it was a great evening. The 5-1 defeat really hurt us. For me as coach, it’s always then vital to see the process of how the players bounce back during the week and develop the belief to go into the game in the way they did. We had better control today and that meant we were there at the transitions. We saw what’s possible when we believe in ourselves. I would’ve liked to have seen us score a third – then I would’ve been excited to see what would’ve ensued together with the crowd. Overall, though, we obviously lost the tie in the first leg. Now pride is my overriding feeling, although there’s also disappointment at being knocked out in the semi-finals, which is normal.”
Line-ups and stats
VfL Wolfsburg: Schult – Wilms (85‘ Bremer), Hendrich, Janssen, Rauch – Lattwein – Jonsdottir, Roord (62‘ Popp), Huth, Waßmuth – Pajor
Subs: Kassen (GK), Wedemeyer, Blässe, Cordes, Knaak, Smits, Starke, van de Sanden
FC Barcelona: Panos – Torrejon, Paredes, Leon, Rolfö (66’ Ouahabi) – Bonmati (84‘ Engen), Patri, Alexia – Hansen (84‘ Pina), Hermoso (59‘ Oshoala), Crnogorcevic (59. Caldentey)
Subs: Font (GK), Munoz (Tor), Pereira, Serrano
Goals: 1-0 Waßmuth (47’), 2-0 Roord (59’)
Yellow cards: Lattwein, Huth, Rauch / Hermoso
Referee: Cheryl Foster (Wales)
Attendance: 22,057 at Volkswagen Arena
