Dis SGS Essen was unable to stop the downward trend in the women’s Bundesliga against Hoffenheim and narrowly lost 0-1 (0-1) on Friday evening.
In interim coach Jessica Wißmann’s second game, national player Selina Cerci scored the decisive goal for Hoffenheim in the 5th minute of the game.
Essen tried extremely hard and was solid defensively for long stretches, but the SGS didn’t develop enough penetration going forward. The Essen women remain bottom of the table with one point.
Essen misses a great opportunity, TSG scores directly
“The first few days were very turbulent,” Wißmann said during the week about her cold start as the main trainer. In their debut against Leipzig, Wißmann saw a committed Essen team, but there wasn’t enough points in the 1:2 defeat. Against Hoffenheim, the Wissmann team wanted to carry on the momentum of their good performance – a plan that succeeded, at least in the very first moments.
In the first minute of the game, Kassandra Potsi missed a Hoffenheim back pass that was too short and left TSG goalkeeper Laura Dick standing with a quick hook. Potsi prudently passed across to Ramona Meier, who missed the ball somewhat hastily from the best position – a huge early opportunity for the SGS. The missed shot took immediate revenge. Essen’s goalkeeper Luisa Palmen misjudged a corner kick and flew past the ball, Cerci pushed the ball over the line for her sixth goal of the season.
Essen struggles: Elmazi and van Belle with degrees
The unsettled Essen team had to cope with another early setback – the already difficult task was made even more difficult. Hoffenheim exploited their footballing superiority without the favorites creating many chances. However, TSG made it difficult for Essen to build up the game, pressed depending on the situation and was stable defensively.
Nevertheless, the Essen women always came to conclusions. Elmazi was cleared twice, but the flat shots with the right (23′) and left (45’+1) remained completely safe for Dick. Shari Van Belle was also allowed to finish in the penalty area after a mistake by the TSG backline, but she aimed it into the middle of the goal without much force – again no problem for Dick (36′).
SGS not compelling enough
Even in the second round, one could not accuse the Essenes of lacking will. The SGS started early, struggled, tried a lot, but too often the last pass or the clear action was missing to create a real chance to score. At least the defense was largely secure, but that is not a given against the dangerous offensive around Cerci.
Wissmann made a substitution and brought on Leonie Köpp for the inconspicuous Van Belle, but the visitors scored the next big chance. Cerci cleverly passed the ball to Linda Natter, who beat Palmen with her direct shot, but Jacqueline Meissner cleared the ball with a diving header off the line and kept Essen in the game. The number of spectators now increased and the tension was palpable in the final phase, also because Essen was finally able to score goals again.
Hoffenheim missed the decision
Köpp gained momentum after being substituted: The 18-year-old moved into the penalty area and shot powerfully towards the right corner, but missed the goal (74th). After some nice preparatory work from Vanessa Fürst, Potsi was also able to try again from a distance, her attempt flew over the crossbar (75′).
However, the hosts were unable to put up any real pressure. Instead, TSG became dangerous again: Janna Grimm took a free kick sharply towards the goal, and Palmen was finally able to distinguish herself with her good save (83′). A little later, Palmen was already beaten by another shot from Natter, but the ball rolled onto the post. Essen was unable to fire any more shots and suffered an unfortunate defeat.
After International break it’s Munich
After the international break, the next difficult test awaits Essen: On Saturday (November 1st), FC Bayern Munich welcomes the SGS. It is still unclear whether Wißmann will continue to be on the sidelines as the main person responsible.
Our sources:
- Women’s Bundesliga game between Essen and Hoffenheim
