Victory in final friendly

VfL Women beat SV Werder Bremen 3-1 in their final friendly of pre-season.

Six days before their first competitive match of the new season, the VfL Wolfsburg Women successfully came through their final pre-season test. In a match played behind closed doors, the Green-and-Whites secured a 3-1 victory over Bundesliga side SV Werder Bremen. The match consisted of two 45-minute halves followed by an additional 20-minute period. Camilla Küver (77’) and Ella Peddemors (79’) put the She-Wolves ahead with two quick-fire goals before Luna Vanzeir pulled one back for Bremen (91’). Linnea Saelen rounded off the scoring in the 107th minute to make it 3-1. The first competitive highlight of the season awaits next Saturday, when VfL take on FC Bayern München in the Google Pixel Women’s Supercup in Ingolstadt. Kick-off at the Audi Sportpark is at 19:30.

Double chance goes begging

Both teams initially took their time to settle into the game. The She-Wolves patiently worked the ball through their own ranks but were unable to carve out any clear-cut chances. The Green-and-Whites posed a real threat for the first time in the 24th minute – and twice in quick succession. Cora Zicai broke through down the left and slipped a through-ball into the penalty area for Ella Peddemors. The Dutchwoman pulled the trigger but saw her effort strike the crossbar. Svenja Huth met the rebound first time and aimed low towards the left corner, but Werder goalkeeper Mariella El Sherif was on hand to turn the ball behind for a corner. Shortly before the break, the She-Wolves stepped up the pressure again and pushed forward, but were unable to find the breakthrough. The teams therefore went into half-time goalless.

Wölfin Camilla Küver schießt mit dem linken Fuß den Ball.

Eine Wölfin von hinten wie sie den Ball schießt. Um sie herum drei Gegenspielerinnen.

Wölfe-Spielerin Sophia Kleinherne steht vor dem Tor. Der Ball kommt auf Kopfhöhe auf Sie zu. Sie springt in die Luft.

Wölfin Thea Bjelde nimmt grad mit der Brust den Ball an. Links im Bild ist die Schiedsrichterin von hinten zu sehen.

Wölfin Weronika Arasniewicz schießt mit dem rechten Fuß den Ball. Um Sie herum sind zwei Gegenspielerinnen.

Quick-fire double puts She-Wolves ahead

The She-Wolves emerged from the dressing room with plenty of impetus and registered the first opportunity of the second half in the 51st minute. The Green-and-Whites worked their way forward down the right flank before Huth sent a low ball into the middle. Zicai cut inside and got her shot away, but Werder goalkeeper Mariella El Sherif was once again equal to it. The Bremen goalkeeper also prevented Wolfsburg from taking the lead in the 72nd minute when she parried a Joelle Wedemeyer effort behind for a corner. Five minutes later, however, the breakthrough finally came. Following a corner from the right, the ball remained loose in the penalty area, where Küver reacted quickest and, while falling, steered it into the bottom-right corner to make it 1-0 (77’). Just two minutes later, the She-Wolves doubled their advantage. Peddemors released Kerim-Lindland with a through-ball. The forward refused to be knocked off her stride by her marker, then took the ball past El Sherif and slotted home to make it 2-0 (79’). Werder still had a response, though: Vanzeir held off substitute Wedemeyer in the penalty area before turning and firing towards the bottom-right corner. Stina Johannes was unable to reach it, and the ball went in off the post to make it 2-1.

Saelen rounds off the scoring

At the start of the third period, several substitutions on both sides initially disrupted the flow of the game. Clear-cut chances were largely few and far between thereafter. Bremen did threaten the Wolfsburg goal again, but without ever seriously troubling the Green-and-Whites. The She-Wolves likewise struggled to create any major openings at first. In the 107th minute, however, the Green-and-Whites put the result beyond doubt: on her VfL debut, Katharina Piljic played a precise through-ball down the middle for Saelen. The forward ran unchallenged towards the Bremen goal and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom-left corner to seal the 3-1 final score. Neither side created any further chances of note in the remaining minutes, meaning it finished 3-1 to the She-Wolves.

“HEADING HOME WITH A POSITIVE FEELING”

Head coach Stephan Lerch: “Four friendly matches, four wins. Of course, we can be very satisfied with that. Even though we found it a little difficult to get into the game today, we gradually gained more control and created some good opportunities. Of course, not everything worked perfectly, but we can take some important lessons from the game. Considering the absences and the fact that our squad is not yet complete, this is a positive conclusion to our preparations. We can head home with a good feeling.”

Line-ups and statistics

VfL Wolfsburg: Johannes (90’ Tufekovic) – Bjelde (75’ Hansen), Kleinherne (61’ Carleer), Küver (90’ Kleinherne), Bogaert (61’ Wedemeyer) – Vallotto (61’ Arasniewicz), Minge (90’ Piljic), Peddemors (90’ Wagner) – Huth (61’ Saelen), Kerim-Lindland (90’ Miyaji), Zicai (90’ Bogaert)

Yellow cards: Magerl / Peddemors

Goals: 1-0 Küver (77’), 2-0 Kerim-Lindland (79’), 2-1 Vanzeir (91’), 3-1 Saelen (107’)