Ann-Katrin Berger has led Chelsea to the semi-finals of the Champions League. The national goalkeeper decided the game against the defending champions from Olympique Lyon with Sara Däbritz with two saved penalties and after the 4:3 on penalties she can still hope for winning the title with her German teammate Melanie Leupolz.
Just before the end of extra time, Lyon seemed like the sure winner. The German national player Sara Däbritz gave the French a 2-0 lead (110th minute), but after a long back and forth and a VAR decision, the Norwegian Maren Mjelde converted a penalty kick in the eighth minute of added time to make it 1:2. Then Berger’s hour struck, parrying the attempts of Lindsey Horan and Wendie Renard.
“I love penalty shootouts”
“This is an incredible success for us,” said Berger. She was “not at all” nervous. “I love penalty shootouts. I don’t feel any particular pressure there.” Mjelde spoke of a “magical comeback” and raved about Berger: “I love seeing Ann-Katrin shine on the biggest of all stages. She deserves it. For me she is the best goalkeeper in the world. She showed that again today.”
Berger has had difficult times. In 2017, the now 32-year-old was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. After returning to football, she announced last August that she had fallen ill again. But just under a month later she was back on the pitch. Your “Blues” will now face FC Barcelona in the semi-finals at the end of April, who beat Rome on Wednesday. In the second knockout duel, VfL Wolfsburg and Bayern conqueror WFC Arsenal play for a place in the final. The exact appointments are not yet clear, the final will take place on June 3rd in Eindhoven.
After the women from Wolfsburg had reached the semi-finals, all eyes were already on London on Thursday evening. “We’re looking forward to this battle,” said VfL trainer Tommy Stroot about the semi-final duels at the end of April against Bayern conquerors WFC Arsenal. Before that, in front of 14,367 fans in the VW Arena, a goal by striker Alexandra Popp (20th minute) was enough to get through, because Paris was only allowed to celebrate once thanks to Kadidiatou Diani (30th). The Wolfsburg women had won the first leg 1-0 – which is why hot duels against Arsenal are now waiting. “This is the last step towards the final and we want to decide it for ourselves,” said the strong Popp.
“We still know Arsenal, we still know how Arsenal feels from last year, we also know how high the individual quality is,” explained Stroot and played on the quarter-final duels between his team and the “Gunners” last year Champions League season. At that time, VfL advanced after a 1-1 draw in London and a 2-0 home win.
In the penalty shoot-out, the German goalkeeper from Chelsea saved two attempts.
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Image: dpa
Nobody in Wolfsburg would have anything against a repeat, but defender Kathy Hendrich warned: “Arsenal have also brutally strengthened themselves again.” She was impressed by how the English played in the well-deserved 2-0 win against Bayern. Arsenal play “really, very nice football. The next caliber is coming our way.”
Lena Oberdorf shared Hendrich’s views. Arsenal have “developed immensely,” said the midfield clearer. The fast-paced game of the top English team reminds you of VfL last season: “They play a bit of the football that we showed last season over long distances and where we want to go again.”
The fact that not everything is going as desired at VfL this season despite reaching the semi-finals was particularly noticeable against Paris in the first half. PSG dominated, while the hostesses also failed at times with simple passes. “We were far too passive in the first half, made things far too easy for Paris, were far too far away from our opponents,” Hendrich complained. It wasn’t until after the break that “VfL was on the pitch we want it to be.”
Many tried to explain the two different performances, including Popp. “We’re in a phase where we don’t really play football with the self-image we’ve had in the last six months,” explained the goal scorer, who was unable to give any precise reasons for this: “So we’re a bit dissatisfied with your own performance.”
Most recently, the Wolfsburg women had lost their lead in the Bundesliga with a 0-1 draw in Munich to FC Bayern. With a one-point deficit, however, defending the title is still possible, as is winning the DFB Cup, which will take VfL back to Munich in the semi-finals on April 15. So both national titles are still in there – and the Champions League? Seems tangible. “They have become a really strong team. You saw that against Bayern, but you also saw where the gaps were,” said Oberdorf, referring to Arsenal.
