Bayern Score Early To Top Vålerenga | OneFootball

Following the unfortunate draw at Freiburg Alex Straus decided to make three changes Tuesday evening against Vålerenga. Linda Sembrant started in place of Magdalena Eriksson, Tuva Hansen replaced Carolin Simon and Weronika Zawistowska made her maiden UWCL start in place of Alara Şehitler.

This article written by Matthew Coates

A surprising start for Zawistowska, but it seemed Straus wanted to reward her after her first Bayern goal in the dying embers of the match in Freiburg. Şehitler may have felt hard done by given she also scored, but considering her age it might be the wiser choice to not give the young star a third consecutive start.

Birthday girl Lea Schüller was not in the squad following her clash with the Freiburg keeper last time out, and Sam Kerr also missed out due to knee problems. Due to Bayern’s considerable injury woes, three youth players made the bench: defender Luzie Zähringer and midfielders Laura Gloning and Sarah Ernst.

The Bayern XI was as follows:

Mala Grohs (GK) – Tuva Hansen, Glódís Viggósdóttir (c), Linda Sembrant, Giulia Gwinn – Sarah Zadrazil, Georgia Stanway – Linda Dallmann, Weronika Zawistowska, Klara Bühl, Pernille Harder

Since the impressive away win against Juventus on UWCL match day 2, Bayern have won one and drawn two in league play. A disappointing record for the reigning Bundesliga champions. Vålerenga came into this game in incredible form, with three consecutive wins in the league since their 4-1 UWCL defeat away to Arsenal.

Exciting First Half

Neither team excelled in the first few moments; Bayern looked the more comfortable side in possession, but early signs suggested this would be a tough encounter.

However, just before the clock hit ten minutes, Bayern opened the score with their first real opportunity. A beautifully weighted cross by Bühl toward the back post, where Harder was in acres of space and gratefully accepted the opportunity to head home her fifth UWCL goal of the season, 1-0.

Moments later, a heavy touch by defender Elise Thorsnes in her own box was quickly stolen by Zawistowska, who was then clumsily brought down for a penalty. Gwinn took the responsibility and sent the keeper the wrong way, 2-0. Gwinn’s perfect record from the spot continues, and she may now be Bayern’s primary penalty taker following Stanway’s latest miss against Frankfurt.

Following their quick fire double, Bayern regularly looked capable of slicing Vålerenga apart creating a number of decent opportunities to score. They regularly had all ten outfield players camped in the opposition’s half, something rarely seen in the UWCL. The opposition had some opportunities to run at Bayern on the counter, but each time the attacks were comfortably halted.

Some lovely combination play by Bayern led to a shot from Hansen, who was left free, but was saved by the keeper. Moments later, a curling Dallman effort was also saved.

Over the final twenty minutes, Bayern began to struggle, where sloppiness prevented more opportunities to inflict further misery on Vålerenga. This seemed to provide the Norwegians with some confidence, but they failed to create any dangerous opportunities.

Comfortable Second Half

The first 15 minutes of the second half were dominated by Bayern, but with minimal opportunities to extend their lead.

In the 61st minute, a deflected Harder strike dropped just over the goal. From the corner that followed, Gwinn was left free to strike at goal, but unfortunately the effort blazed over the bar.

In the 63rd minute Bayern could have had a third, if not for some desperate defending from the Norwegians. A corner from Bühl was flicked on at the near post by Gwinn toward the back post, but it was prevented from crossing the line by a last-ditch slide tackle at the last second.

When Bayern were put under pressure by their opponents, Zawistowska regularly was on the end of fouls which allowed Bayern to escape the pressure. This was particularly useful in halting any Vålerenga momentum from growing, and helped solidify Bayern’s dominance throughout the match. In the 73rd minute, she was replaced by Şehitler: a solid performance by the 24 year old.

In the 76th minute, Vålerenga began to apply considerable pressure on Bayern, and had many opportunities to cause problems. Bayern’s defending was unconvincing at times, but they were ultimately able to prevent any issues. Vålerenga had an attempt in the 85th after a quick break, but the shot sailed over the bar.

A long ball forward from Viggósdóttir looking for a run in behind by Gwinn was chipped first time, but trickled narrowly wide.

Another long ball in the dying moments of the game, this time by Grohs, was deflected onto the head of Şehitler, who headed it onto Zadrazil. She emphatically volleyed the ball into the net, 3-0.

A Bayern debut came in the final moments, where Magou Doucouré replaced Gwinn.

A Positive Result Ahead of Tough Fixtures

As a result of this clash, Bayern continue to sit top of their UWCL group, with three wins from three. If Bayern win in the reverse fixture, They would be all but guaranteed to progress through to the knockouts with two games to play: an enticing position to be in. This comes off the back of a few lacklustre domestic performances in recent weeks, so a performance as dominant as this was great to see.

Bayern will want to take this momentum into the final three games before the international break: they not only have the away trip to Vålerenga, but also an away trip in the Pokal to Freiburg. That proved to be a difficult trip last Friday; evidence that Bayern’s tough run of fixtures somehow continues.

Whilst Bayern still have seven games before the end of the year, Japanese sensation Momoko Tanikawa has now played her final game on loan at Swedish Champions Rosengard. Incredibly, she managed to finish as the league’s topscorer, with 16 goals in 20 matches! She will now go on a deserved holiday, before meeting up with Bayern in their winter camp in January.

Straus has gone on the record to say he is excited to have her join the squad, and I’m sure her considerable talents will prove useful for Bayern in the second half of the season. Next up, Bayern play host to Carl Zeiss Jena on Sunday 17th November.