Bayern Go Top Thanks to Harder Header | OneFootball

Head Coach Alexander Straus made five changes from the spectacular win against Frankfurt in the DFB Pokal Quarter Finals, with Hansen and Sembrant replacing Gwinn and Eriksson, Zigiotti coming in for Lohmann, and both Tanikawa and Damnjanović instead of Şehitler and Schüller.

This article written by Matthew Coates

Lohmann was announced in the initial lineup but suffered a thigh injury in the warm-up, Eriksson missed out due to load management and Dallmann due to personal reasons. Tanikawa made her first Bayern start.

The Bayern XI was as follows:

Ena Mahmutovic (GK) – Tuva Hansen, Glódís Viggósdóttir (c), Linda Sembrant, Carolin Simon – Sarah Zadrazil, Julia Zigiotti – Klara Bühl, Momoko Tanikawa, Pernille Harder, Jovana Damnjanović

Bayern started this game knowing that a win would put pressure on both Frankfurt and Wolfsburg, who would begin playing against each other in Wolfsburg before this game finished. The importance of a win then could not be understated.

Bremen have been a team this season of highs and lows, starting the day in 8th place but having achieved scalps against the likes of Leverkusen and Wolfsburg in the league, and also having knocked out the former as part of a hectic day of DFB quarter finals. A team that can cause problems, so Bayern had to be careful.

Professional First Half

Bayern started really well, looking to carry the momentum from that emphatic win midweek. Bremen looked to sit deep and absorb pressure, but Bayern looked keen to create chances. The first came in the second minute, where a delicate cross from Simon toward the back post was headed narrowly wide of Livia Peng’s goal.

Whenever Bremen had control of the ball, they seemed to panic due to Bayern’s high press and hit balls into space, but there was always a Bayern player to sweep up and reapply the pressure. They thus continued to sit in a low block and looked to frustrate Bayern’s attackers.

It took until the 13th minute for Bayern’s next chance, after some interplay between Tanikawa and Harder on the edge of the box led to a blocked shot from the latter, and Tanikawa’s rebound resulted in a comfortable save for Livia Peng.

Moments later, Viggósdóttir headed toward goal from a corner, and the ball fell to Sembrant but her strike from a tight angle went well over the target. Bayern were upping the pressure and were desperate to make the breakthrough.

Luckily, a minute later that breakthrough arrived. A recreation of Bayern’s first chance, Simon produced a lovely cross toward the back post, and after some quality movement by Harder, she was free to head downward past Livia Peng and into the back of the net, 1-0.

After the goal, Bremen responded well and were consistently able to halt Bayern attacks before they became dangerous. Bayern’s possession was slow and probing, but unable to cause much concern.

It took until the 27th minute for the next chance, where a lovely backheel by Tanikawa to Simon meant she was free to run into the box. She found Bühl who struck first time with her weaker foot and Peng punched it into the air. She got up and pushed the ball away to prevent it from bouncing in the net, and the resulting shot by Hansen was comfortably held by Peng.

Chances were few and far between, Tanikawa’s shot from distance in the 38th minute being the next decent chance. The effort had power but sailed wide of the post. A few moments later, Zigiotti was the first to make contact with the ball following a corner, but her header lacked conviction and was easily plucked out of the sky by Peng. The Swiss goalkeeper was having an excellent match.

The final important action before half time was another goal for Bayern, but it was ruled out for offside. A sensational clipped pass in behind the defensive line by Tanikawa caused panic, and Harder ran on and pulled it back for Bühl who converted, but the whistle had already blown. Must have been a tight offside as Harder seemed frustrated with the decision.

Cagey Second Half

Bayern continued to dominate proceedings in the second half, without being able to find a goal that would provide a cushion. Despite Mahmutovic’s infrequent involvement in the first half, you felt that Bremen were capable of scoring if they had more composure.

Bayern were searching for a second, and almost got it in the 47th minute. A goalmouth scramble ensued following a Zigiotti header from a corner. It fell to Damnjanović, whose subsequent shot was cleared off the line by Emőke Pápai.

Werder had occasional runs forward, but Bayern were able to defend well and would end up clearing comfortably. Bremen had one or two half-chances, but the shots were speculative at best.

In the 59th minute, a clever Tanikawa spin sent Simon on her way, and she found Damnjanović in heaps of space, but she was unselfish and attempted to find the cross for Harder, instead of shooting herself. Moments later, Harder and Zadrazil were replaced by Schüller and Caruso.

Bayern’s next substitutions came in the 70th minute, where Tanikawa and Damnjanović were replaced by Şehitler and Zawistowska.

Bayern did not have a shot again until the 81st minute, where a defensive clearance from Bremen was intercepted by Bühl whose control was sublime, but she dragged the effort wide of the post. Bühl was involved moments later, where she dribbled past her marker into the penalty area and attempted to curl an effort into the far post, but that also went wide. That proved to be her final involvement, as she was replaced in the 83rd minute by Kett.

In the closing stages of the game, Bremen had their only shot on target, which reeked of desperation. The shot came in from about 30 yards, and rolled into Mahmutovic’s hands. Bayern had done their job, not spectacularly, but the result is the most important thing.

Three Week Break before Crunch Time

The win meant Bayern went three points clear as Frankfurt conceded their second away to Wolfsburg. The title race is heating up, and with games against Frankfurt, Wolfsburg, Leverkusen and Lyon in the UWCL to come, Bayern are clearly happy with the breathing space. With Wolfsburg’s emphatic win over Frankfurt, Bayern now hold a 3 point gap over both them and Frankfurt going into the international break.

Whilst it wasn’t a sensational performance from the team, it was clear that the Pokal matches midweek would take more than a few days to recover. It was a good thing for Bayern then, that Bremen had also played that same evening, although at least they didn’t go to extra time.

The important thing was the win, and that’s what happened. Bayern will now seek to maintain this position, but it will be no easy task. The title race in the Frauen Bundesliga is well and truly alive, and Bayern will hope to become three-times-in-a-row champions. The next game for Bayern Frauen is a trip to Köln on the 9th March.