Women

She-Wolves defeat Jena

VfL Women celebrated the club’s 80th anniversary with a win.

VfL Wolfsburg Women recorded a hard-earned 3-1 victory over FC Carl Zeiss Jena on Matchday 2 of the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season. Glorious sunshine welcomed 3,420 supporters to the AOK Stadion, where fans marked VfL’s 80th anniversary with a huge tifo in the north stand, while Volkswagen’s Big Band provided the music. 

The Green-and-Whites struggled to get the better of a well-drilled Jena side for long periods, and it wasn’t until the 42nd minute that the deadlock was broken by Janina Minge (42’). The visitors equalised early in the second half, and the game was not decided until the closing stages with two goals in quick succession from summer signing Cora Zicai and Lineth Beerensteyn.
The She-Wolves’ next game is on Sunday 21 September away to 1. FC Köln (kick-off 18:30 CEST).

Goals

  • 1-0 Minge (42’): Vivien Endemann plays a ball from the right into the middle for Justine Kielland, who helps it on to Minge. The new VfL captain buries a superb volley into the net. 
     
  • 1-1 Jaron (56’): Jena get into VfL’s penalty area on a rare foray forward. Isabella Jaron gets the better of Caitlin Dijkstra on the byline and fires in a low shot to equalise. 
     
  • 2-1 Zicai (82’): The She-Wolves have been camped out in Jena’s half. Svenja Huth plays the ball from the right-hand side of the penalty area into the middle for Zicai, who scores a vital goal.
     
  • 3-1 Beerensteyn (87’): Second-half substitute Beerensteyn makes the most of a lapse in concentration from the away side. After dealing with a high ball, Josephine Bonsu tries to play it back to her goalkeeper but under-hits her pass, allowing Beerensteyn to nip in, take it around Hannah Etzold and score from close range.

Reaction

Stephan Lerch: “You could see that we wanted the three points right from the first minute today. We had a lot of control and I was pleased with our intensity and pressure. At the end of the day, it was a deserved and important home win.”

Line-ups and stats 

VfL Wolfsburg: Johannes – Wedemeyer (75‘ Bjelde), Dijkstra, Küver, Levels – Kielland (75‘ Beerensteyn), Minge, Huth, Zicai (88‘ Pujols), Popp, Endemann (67‘ Peddemors)

Subs: Tufekovic (GK), Vallotto, Bussy

FC Carl Zeiss Jena: Etzold – Juckel, Sträßer, Ihlenburg, Schmid, Bonsu – Reske (72‘ Margraf), Gentile, Gora (65‘ Andersson) – Tietz (87‘ Haering), Jaron

Subs: Fischer (GK), Heuschkel, Metzner, Julevic

Goals: 1-0 Minge (42‘), 1-1 Jaron (56‘), 2-1 Zicai (82‘), 3-1 Beerensteyn (87‘)

Yellow cards: Wedemeyer, Huth / Schmid, Jaron

Referee: Nadine Westerhoff (Bochum)

Attendance: 3,420 at AOK Stadion (Wolfsburg)