The VfL Wolfsburg footballers didn’t get past 3:3 (2:3) in the first leg of the Champions League intermediate round at Paris FC. Alexandra Popp gave last year’s finalists a good starting position to reach the group stage with two goals.
In the second leg next Wednesday (6.45 p.m.) in Wolfsburg, the German runner-up will have to improve in all areas in order to make it into the group phase of the Champions League, which will be drawn in Nyon on October 20th. Coach Tommy Stroot’s team showed some lapses against the leaders of the French league, especially in defense.
Wild exchange of blows in the first 30 minutes
The first half hour was a wild exchange of blows between two teams on equal terms. Vivien Endemann gave Wolfsburg the lead after just four minutes, hitting the empty net from 30 meters. Ewa Pajor had previously courageously disturbed the Paris goalkeeper Chiamak Nnadozie and forced an unsuccessful attempt to clear the ball.
The early lead did not give the VfL women any sovereignty, quite the opposite. The defense of last year’s finalists was tremendous. Gaetane Thiny (8th) immediately equalized and Mathilde Bourdieu (15th) gave the fast French women a 2-1 lead. Kathrin Hendrich wanted to clear with a tackle, but presented the ball perfectly to the Parisian.
Misfires en masse in the VfL defense
Alexandra Popp headed the surprising equalizer for Wolfsburg after 30 minutes, again with the friendly help of the poorly reacting Nnadozie. But none of this helped against the lack of concentration in the VfL defense. Shortly before the break, Hendrich misjudged a long ball, Dominique Janssen acted too passively and Julie Dufor scored from 20 meters to make it 3-2 for Paris. Lisa Schmitz, who replaced the injured Merle Frohms (concussion) in the VfL goal, also didn’t look good when she conceded the third goal.
It’s popping, who else…
After the break, Wolfsburg at least got their defense under control, but there was little going forward. Until the 73rd minute, when Popp was there again with his head and made it 3-3 for the Lower Saxony team out of nowhere. In the end, the flattering draw could have even turned into a victory for the “Wolfs”, but Pajor was offside in the supposed 4:3 (82nd minute).
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NDR 2 Sport | Oct 10, 2023 | 11:03 p.m
