Cup defenders VfL Wolfsburg have saved what is probably their last chance for the title of the season. The “Wolves” celebrated a 9-0 (3-0) victory against Bundesliga rivals SGS Essen on Saturday and thus moved into the DFB Cup final.
It was a superior performance from coach Tommy Stroot’s team, who were even able to exploit their chances. The Lower Saxony team put their opponents under constant pressure right from the start, even without the injured national players Marina Hegering (torn muscle fiber in the calf), Alexandra Popp and Lena Lattwein (both knee problems) and set the course for victory early on.
Full-back Lynn Wilms and striker Vivien Endemann in particular made a strong impression on the right side. In the 14th minute, Wilms was able to cross unhindered and her tailor-made cross found Jule Brand, who nodded in at the second post to make it 1-0.
Less than two minutes later, the favorite followed up: Endemann, an asset against her former club and a guest at the NDR Sportclub on Sunday from 10:50 p.m., passed two opponents and passed into the center, where Ewa Pajor scored the rebound from close range sunk into the goal.
Vivien Endemann puts together a three-pack
VfL’s quick 2-0 lead further unsettled the guests, who lost sight of Pajor several times later on. The Pole, who was actually extremely dangerous, left a lot of things behind – rather unusually for her – otherwise Wolfsburg would have quickly increased the result.
The wide-awake Endemann finally made it 3-0 with a precise finish (37th). Shortly after the break, the young striker increased the score to 4-0 (51st). Stroot now also let talents like Camilla Küver get a chance at VfL, who continued to dictate the game as he wished against overwhelmed Essen.
In the 66th minute, Dominique Janssen headed in unmolested after a corner against her old employer to make it 5-0 (66th). Shortly afterwards, young player Emely Joester scored an unfortunate own goal – the 6-0 for Wolfsburg (69th). At 7-0 (81st), the goal scorer was once again Endemann, who was rewarded for strong dribbling and a gala performance anyway. The final points with 8:0 and 9:0 were set by Riola Xhemaili (83rd) and Svenja Huth (89th), who is apparently about to extend her contract with VfL. The 33-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the season.
VfL footballers show a lot of enthusiasm for the game
Wolfsburg’s footballers probably went into the semi-finals with a good deal of anger in their stomachs, but they showed the right reaction and a lot of enthusiasm after the bitter 4-0 defeat against Bayern Munich the previous week. The chances of winning the championship are gone, VfL is seven points behind the Bundesliga leaders with five game days to go.
But in the cup competition, in which the “Wolves” have been unbeaten for 49 games, the Lower Saxony team want to celebrate their tenth triumph in a row and thus avoid their first titleless season since 2012. The only thing standing in the way is the final opponent – probably FC Bayern, who will face Eintracht Frankfurt in the second semi-final on Easter Sunday (3:45 p.m.). The final will take place on May 9th in Cologne.
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sports club | 31.03.2024 | 10:50 p.m
