Women

Popp Brace Caps Off Season Finale

The She-Wolves beat 1. FC Nürnberg 3-1 in their final match of the season.

The VfL Wolfsburg women secured a 3-1 (2-0) victory over 1. FC Nürnberg on the final matchday of the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. In front of a crowd at the Volkswagen Arena, the focus was firmly on the emotional farewell celebrations surrounding Alexandra Popp. In her final home appearance in a VfL shirt, the captain scored twice (13’, 40’) to guide the She-Wolves to a deserved lead at the break. After halftime, a bizarre goal from Nürnberg’s Lourdes Romero (75’) and a strike from Janou Levels (78’) sealed the final scoreline.

Team News

VfL head coach Stephan Lerch made seven changes to the starting XI compared to the DFB Cup final. Joelle Wedemeyer replaced Thea Bjelde, Caitlin Dijkstra came in for Sophia Kleinherne, Guro Bergsvand started instead of Camilla Küver, Levels replaced Sarai Linder, Justine Kielland came in for Janina Minge, Smilla Vallotto took Lena Lattwein’s place and Vivien Endemann started in place of Lineth Beerensteyn.

Match Summary

The She-Wolves took control from the outset and created their first chances early on. In the 8th minute, Popp got on the end of a cross from Endemann before Endemann herself narrowly missed moments later (9’). Wolfsburg were rewarded in the 13th minute: Wedemeyer delivered a precise cross from the right and Popp headed home the opener. Wolfsburg remained dominant, with Caitlin Dijkstra narrowly missing the target from distance (27’). Nürnberg struggled to find attacking solutions throughout the first half. Shortly before the break, Popp struck again. After a foul on the edge of the box, the captain curled a superb free-kick into the bottom-right corner to make it 2-0 (40’). The She-Wolves headed into halftime with a deserved lead.

Wolfsburg continued to dictate play after the restart without creating many clear-cut opportunities at first. The most emotional moment came in the 57th minute when Popp was substituted to a standing ovation, with Lineth Beerensteyn taking over in her final home appearance as well. Nürnberg improved slightly after several substitutions but rarely threatened. The visitors pulled one back in bizarre fashion in the 76th minute when a long clearance from Lourdes Romero bounced directly into the Wolfsburg net following a defensive misunderstanding. Wolfsburg responded immediately. Just two minutes later, Levels drove decisively into the box from the right and finished confidently from a central position to restore the two-goal lead at 3-1 (78’). The She-Wolves then saw out the match comfortably.

Goals

  • 1-0 Popp (13’): Wedemeyer delivers a precise cross from the right into the penalty area, where Popp rises near the penalty spot and heads into the bottom-left corner.
     
  • 2-0 Popp (40’): Popp steps up to take the free-kick herself and curls it brilliantly into the bottom-right corner.
     
  • 2-1 Romero (76’): A long clearance from the Nürnberg goalkeeper bounces directly into the Wolfsburg net after a misunderstanding in defence.
     
  • 3-1 Levels (78’): Levels is given plenty of space on the right, drives into the box and finishes confidently from a central position.

Reaction

Stephan Lerch: It was a very successful end to the season today. The team really wanted to give Alexandra Popp one more moment in the spotlight, and the fact that she scored twice made it absolutely perfect. Overall, we can be very satisfied with the season: second place in the league, reaching the cup final and finishing among the top eight teams in Europe – especially after the changes we went through last summer, that’s a very positive outcome. Now we want to finish the final days properly while also starting to look ahead to the future.

Line-ups and Stats

VfL Wolfsburg: Johannes (69’ Smolarczyk) – Wedemeyer, Dijkstra (69’ Pujols), Bergsvand, Levels – Vallotto, Kielland, Peddemors – Huth (69’ Zicai), Popp (57’ Beerensteyn), Endemann (78’ Bussy)

Substitutes: Bjelde, Kleinherne, Linder, Minge

1. FC Nürnberg: Romero – Homann (46’ Grzywinska), Fördös (81’ Thöle), Varley, Pollak (81’ Svensson Senelius) – Guttenberger, Seguin – Proniez, Lein, Polaskova (59’ Papai) – Günster (73’ Turi)

Substitutes: Chaves, Mai, Senelius

Goals: 1-0 Popp (13’), 2-0 Popp (40’), 2-1 Romero (76’), 3-1 Levels (78’)

Yellow cards: Endemann / Lein

Referee: Lara Wolf

Attendance: 7,268 spectators at the Volkswagen Arena.