VfL Wolfsburg and FC Bayern in the Champions League: The Germans are back a bit

The video referee remained silent. This is worth mentioning in women’s football because this assistant is not present in every competition. And in this quarter-final second leg of the Champions League, the spectators also asked themselves whether there was really a VAR in front of the screens. Arsenal’s Katie McCabe had pulled Chelsea’s Alyssa Thompson to the ground from behind by her hair. And it happened: nothing. Referee Frida Klarlund allowed the game to continue and the VAR did not intervene. In the end, McCabe only saw a yellow card and Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor, who protested angrily, received a red card.

In the last game of the semi-finalist search, the VAR came in to save Wolfsburg. But he couldn’t do it either. Olympique Lyon were angry on the pitch; VfL surprisingly won the first leg 1-0. After just 35 seconds, the team led by German national player Jule Brand fired their first shot on goal. Then came one attack after another. If cats have seven or nine lives, the she-wolves had around 40 on Thursday and they couldn’t get out of defense at all. Lily Yohannes scored for Lyon after a deflection in the 16th minute, then Marie-Antoinette Katoto again in the 98th minute, but stop, VAR, offside! In the chaos after a corner, Melchie Dumornay struck (102′). The video referee spoke up again. But the goal counted, a little later it was 4-0.

“We left our hearts on the pitch and showed fighting spirit until the end,” said Wolfsburg coach Stephan Lerch. “We knew it was going to be difficult, that this storm was coming our way.” The fact that his team was able to withstand the hurricane like this was impressive. But the evening also revealed how big the gap has now become between the two traditional top teams. The record winner from Lyon was absolutely superior with 78:12 attacks and 38:6 finishes. On the way to its twelfth final, Olympique will face defending champions Arsenal with German goalkeeper and former Wolfsburg player Anneke Borbe.

With FC Bayern, after the win against Manchester United after 2023 – when Wolfsburg only lost in the final against FC Barcelona – at least one Bundesliga team has made it into the top four in Europe again. The national balance of power is carried over to the other competitions this season. Third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt missed the final of the Europa Cup against BK Häcken, comparable to the men’s Europa League. German football is not quite back on the international stage, whose main players once included clubs like Turbine Potsdam (two Champions League titles, most recently in 2010), 1. FFC Frankfurt (four titles, most recently in 2015) and Wolfsburg (two titles in 2013 and 2014). German football has been without a title in the most important club competition for more than ten years.

For the Germans, it’s still about not missing the boat. Even though national coach Christian Wück recently said that he believes “that the German teams are better than last year, regardless of the name.” But the standards have long been set by others, especially the English Women’s Super League, while the German Football Association and the Bundesliga clubs were unable to agree on a route despite the common goal of professionalization. And among the teams, Lyon and Bayern’s semi-final opponent Barça stand out, who regularly dismantle their opponents with pleasure and relentlessly: most recently Real Madrid with 6:2 and 6:0.

Wolfsburg has at least reminded us that it can still counter the best teams despite the upheaval and without the injured Alexandra Popp, who moved to BVB in the summer and had to say goodbye as Germany’s record player in the premier class. But that’s not (or no longer?) enough to be a surprise. The DFB Cup remains the only remaining chance of a title for VfL, in the semi-finals on Easter Sunday (4.15 p.m., Sky) the club will face Carl Zeiss Jena. It will probably come down to a final against long-term rivals Munich, who will host SGS Essen on Easter Monday.

Bayern are 13 points ahead in the league and can become champions early next matchday. In general, the Munich women have achieved what should become the standard as soon as possible in accordance with the universal claim of this club: they are at the forefront everywhere. This inspired coach José Barcala to eulogize his players after the win against United. They are very demanding of themselves and obsessed with details. “With this attitude, with this mentality, there are no limits,” said the Spaniard: “The development of this team is unstoppable.”

This interim high could give way in a few weeks to the realization that there is still a gap between the Munich team and the top international players. In the semi-finals (April 25/26 and May 2/3) they will have to perform perfectly to avoid being crushed by FC Barcelona. The most recent duel in the league phase of the Champions League was a 1:7 debacle. “We had a lot of lessons this season,” said Linda Dallmann. “But Barça was already the biggest.” Since then, the team and coach have obviously found each other. If it weren’t for the recurring nervousness in the initial phase. So what to do? Just don’t play again, as Dallmann so bluntly put it, “as if you had balls in your pants”!