Women

Table-toppers half-way through

VfL Women came from behind to earn a deserved 3-1 win over SGS Essen.

Die beiden VfL-Wolfsburg-Spielerinnen Alexandra Popp und Ewa Pajor nehmen sich in den Arm, ballen die Fäuste und jubeln.

The She-Wolves defeated SGS Essen 3-1 in an exciting contest on Monday night and ensured that they would complete the first half of Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga fixtures in first place in the table.

The Green-and-Whites struggled to come to terms both with the playing surface and their well-organised opposition in the first half and then went behind to a goal soon after the break. The team then moved up a gear and got the three points they deserved, thanks in no small part to two incredible goals. Former Essen players Vivien Endemann (56’) and Marina Hegering (66’) were on the scoresheet for VfL Women, as was Ewa Pajor (69’).

With their mission accomplished, the team headed straight back to Wolfsburg after the match.

Goals

  • 1-0 Purtscheller (51’): The match takes a surprise turn of events when a ball that was meant to be sent out wide lands at the feet of Lilli Purtscheller, who finds herself with only Merle Frohms to beat and sends a long-range strike into the far left-hand corner.
     
  • 1-1 Endemann (56’): Pajor imposes herself down the left flank and sends over a pin-point cross for Endemann, who fires it home first time from close range for the equaliser.
     
  • 1-2 Hegering (66’): What a goal! With her team-mates struggling to find a way through, Hegering takes aim from 30 yards out and curls a beauty just under the bar.
     
  • 1-3 Pajor (69’): Lightning-fast forward Pajor sets off on a sprint from the half-way line and just about manages to out-pace Jacqueline Meißner before drilling home a side-footed shot off the inside of the far left-hand post.

Reaction

Tommy Stroot: “In the first half, we didn’t follow through on things in terms of the way we were attacking. After the break, we managed to impose our style of play on the match after going behind, and at the end of the day, we deserved our 3-1 win.”

Line-ups and stats

VfL Wolfsburg: Frohms – Wilms (58‘ Wedemeyer), Hegering, Janssen, Rabano – Huth (78‘ Jonsdottir), Oberdorf (70‘ Hagel), Lattwein – Endemann (70‘ Brand), Popp (78‘ Kalma), Pajor

Subs: Schmitz (GK), Xhemaili, Brinkmann

SGS Essen: Winkler – Sterner (85‘ Joester), Meißner, Pucks, Ostermeier– Kowalski (85‘ Pfluger), Piljic, Rieke (85‘ Potsi) – Purtscheller (78‘ Enderle), Maier, Elmazi (58‘ Berentzen)

Subs: Lucassen (GK), Kröll, Göppel, Debitzki

Goals: 1-0 Purtscheller (51‘), 1-1 Endemann (56‘), 1-2 Hegering (66‘), 1-3 Pajor (69‘)

Yellow crads: - / Rieke, Maier

Referee: Katrin Rafalski (Baunatal)

Attendance: 3,842 at Stadion an der Hafenstraße, Essen