As of: December 22, 2025 8:39 a.m
VfL Wolfsburg won the northern duel in the women’s Bundesliga against HSV. Coach Stephan Lerch’s team deservedly won 3:1 (0:0).
The player of the game was Alexandra Popp, who turned the game in VfL’s favor with her goals (69th and 80th). Svea Stoldt put HSV in the lead with a dream goal (51st). Kessya Bussy made everything clear in stoppage time (90+3). The victory was deserved for the tirelessly running team from Lower Saxony because they improved significantly in their passing game and cross quality in the second half.
Popp said in an interview with NDR that “we had a very difficult time in the first half.” In particular, the double goalscorer didn’t like the positioning – and “the fact that we let a bit of our edge get taken away from us. We presented ourselves much better in the second half.”
Stoldt: “We played very well for 60 minutes”
Liese Brancao’s team actually did very respectably: the newcomers fought with self-sacrifice and made things difficult for the hosts with their tight defense for long stretches of the match. Stoldt called the defeat “bitter because we played very well for 60 minutes.” Towards the end the strength was a bit lacking.
With their eleventh win of the season, the “Wolves” remain close to league leaders Bayern Munich, while the Hanseatic League go into the month-long winter break in relegation place 13th. The Lower Saxony team starts the new year on January 24th in Jena (2 p.m., in the NDR Livecenter), the Hamburg team the next day with the important home game against SGS Essen (4 p.m., in the NDR Livecenter).
HSV is low, VfL is struggling
VfL took control right from the start, but it wasn’t until the 21st minute that the “Wolves” had their first significant finish. Lena Lattwein received the ball in the penalty area and tested HSV goalkeeper Inga Schuldt with a powerful shot.
The Lower Saxony team managed to get through every now and then, even if they struggled overall against the guests’ good defense. And again and again it was Lattwein. But at first her shot was just blocked (29th), then she didn’t hit a volley correctly (40th). HSV only had one shot in the first half: Mia Büchele tested Stina Johannes with a shot (33′).
Stoldt-Knaller for the Hamburg lead
Shortly after the restart, Stoldt did better: Guro Bergsvand cleared a ball into the center and the midfielder chased the ball from 18 meters with her right into the left corner – a dream goal (51st).
And the Brancao team followed up almost immediately: Sophie Hillebrand was up and away on the right side, decided against a shot from a tight angle and passed it across to Christin Meyer, who slotted in. Referee Anna-Lena Heidenreich decided it was offside (54′). There is no video assistant in the women’s Bundesliga who could have checked the close decision again.
Popp and Bussy turn the game around
The “Wolves” continued to struggle at first and only had a good chance again thanks to Bussy, who had just been substituted. Her lob sailed over the goal (66′). Three minutes later, however, the equalizer was achieved: Lattwein extended a cross from Svenja Huth from the right side, Popp pushed the ball into the net from close range.
And because it worked so well, the Wolfsburg women did it again with the same pattern: cross from Huth, finish from Popp, goal. The difference: This time she scored with her head (80th). In stoppage time, Bussy made everything clear: Sent by Popp, the Frenchwoman remained ice cold in front of Schuldt (90th + 3).