Bayern perfection?
That was probably the best Bayern Munich performance we have seen this season. A complete win, never in doubt. Giulia Gwinn called for domination before the match and that is exactly what she and her team delivered.
Juventus had their moments progressing the ball into the Bayern final third — but the Bavarians always closed ranks, were disciplined in defense, and snuffed out the danger.
The first goal was scrappy. Klara Bühl conjured up a 22nd minute superb shot from range that found only the crossbar, but rebounded into the danger zone where Pernille Harder and then Jovana Damnjanović scrambled for seconds. The Serbian put her effort away successfully to send Bayern into the break up 1-0.
At half-time, Damnjanović remarked on how she felt the Bavarians should have scored even more. If that was a challenge to make good in the second half, Bayern certainly did.
First in the 52nd minute, a Bühl cross across the face of goal deflected into space and Pernille Harder pounced. Then in the 73rd, Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir found Bühl with a terrific ball over the top. It was a world-class take by Bühl, who outran the nearest defenders to put her shot away. Finally in the 81st, a well-worked team goal saw Sydney Lohmann feed Lea Schüller, who flicked back into space behind her. 18-year-old Alara Șehitler ran on to grab Bayern’s final goal of the night.
Juventus is currently top of the Serie A Women’s table. But the Italian leaders were played out of the park on Thursday in Bavaria.
“Big game Bühl”
The DAZN Fan Zone player of the match more than earned her stripes. From the opening whistle to the last, Bühl was a force on the Bayern left wing. With physicality, dexterity and pace, she proved to be too much for even a corral of defenders to deal with and was well rewarded with her own goal after playing a big part in the build up to the first two.
As speculation swirls around her future — FC Barcelona is reportedly interested and that is not the kind of club you say ‘no’ to — the game served to underscore her impact at Bayern, and the heavy blow her loss would be. On this day at least, Bühl looked ecstatic right where she was at.
Load management in spotlight
There is truly very little to be said in criticism of Bayern Frauen coach Alexander Straus’ work in this one. But as Bayern continue to manage a heavy match burden through to the winter break perhaps one topic to keep an eye on is player fatigue.
With the Bavarians already qualified — and, at the end of today after Arsenal’s not unexpected 3-1 win over Vålerenga, with top spot in the group still resting on next week’s tilt in London — perhaps this was one for more rotation than we saw.
Instead Straus fielded a strong XI and his first subs — Sydney Lohmann in the 58th, then Lea Schüller and Tuva Hansen in the 68th — were regulars.
Thankfully, no player went down with any injuries and all’s well that ends well. But, with fatigue a regular feature and a tight Frauen-Bundesliga title race that means no team can let up in the league — well, the test now will be what Bayern can put up against Potsdam on Sunday.
The week ahead
Bayern face Turbine Potsdam in the Frauen-Bundesliga on Sunday. The Bavarians are currently second in the table, level on points with both Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt but +11 on goal difference to the former and -9 to the latter. Potsdam is last in the league and have scored just once this season while conceding 32 times, so Bayern may look at this as an opportunity to rack up goals...and play the strongest XI once more.
Then next Wednesday it is off to London for a date with Arsenal FC, who continue to be impressive under Renée Slegers. This is not the same side Bayern smacked down 5-2 in their last meeting in October.
For Bayern’s rising young star Șehitler, though, first is an English paper on Friday (as highlighted on Twitter by reporter and former Bayern player Adriana Wehrens)...because she has school.
All in a day’s work for the Bayern Frauen!