By Olaf Goldbecker – From four to two. The 20th matchday proved to be a decisive one for the championship. In a direct comparison, Potsdam cared for kicking their archrivals Frankfurt out of the champion race. The ambitious team from the Maine metropolis is now waiting for a league triumph since 2008 despite of major investments. Also, Duisburg is nearly out of the title race after a loss at Bayern Munich. Only VfL Wolfsburg keeps track with Potsdam. At the bottom, Bayer Leverkusen missed the big chance to get the situation in own control. All three relegation candidates lost.
FF USV Jena v Hamburger SV 0:1 (0:0)
In the only morning game of the matchday, Jena missed the chance to free themselves and put the opponents in the relegation fight under pressure. Carolin Simon decided the game in minute 69. Hamburg now safely stays in the league as long as they don’t withdraw the team.
Turbine Potsdam v 1.FFC Frankfurt 3:1 (2:0)
The traditional German top duel of the two powerhouses was decided by Potsdam once again. Genoveva Anomna seemed to be frozen in the German winter; she never could get close to her performances of the first half season. Yet she found the defrost mode somewhere and scored all three goals for her team in this key matchup. Saskia Bartusiak got her team closer in between.
VfL Wolfsburg v SC Freiburg 3:0 (2:0)
The Wolves from Lower Saxony stay red hot. Conny Pohlers and Zsanett Jakabfi cared for a secure early lead. Nadine Keßler added the final goal with a penalty kick.
SG Essen-Schönebeck v Bayer Leverkusen 4:0 (0:0)
Jena’s loss allowed Bayer to dream of getting closer in the relegation fight, but the young team caught a horrible day and lost, 4-0, in a low-level game. It actually was a typical game for a scoreless draw but disastrous defensive mistakes donated a clear win for Essen, which didn’t have many more scoring opportunities than goals. Linda Dallmann, Caroline Hamann (2) and Katharina Leiding were the scorers, all in the last 30 minutes.
SC Bad Neuenahr v Lokomotive Leipzig 5:0 (1:0)
Celia Okoyino da Mbabi scored the lone goal of the first half. As so often, Leipzig was solid but gave up the goals and then surrendered at the end of the game. Nicole Rolser sealed the deal after an hour before Sarah Gregorius, Okoyino da Mbabi, and Sofia Nati added in the last 10 minutes.
Bayern München v FCR Duisburg 2:0 (0:0)
One week before the cup final, Bayern Munich did something for the self-esteem and defeated a top team. For Duisburg it pretty much means the end of the championship hopes. Lena Lotzen, after 70 minutes and Katharina Baunach with a penalty kick 12 minutes later, were the scorers.
Situation: two games left to play and Potsdam leads the standings one point ahead of Wolfsburg. Duisburg follows four points behind Wolfsburg and only has theoretical chances on the championship. Frankfurt’s only hope to play international next year is to win the Champions League and start as title defender. With six points behind Wolfsburg, they can barely qualify in the domestic league.
Essen is “best of the rest” with 27 pts and in fifth place. Munich (24), Freiburg (23), Bad Neuenahr (22), and Hamburg (22) follow; all are safe and can’t relegate. Jena, with 15, still has to tremble. Relegating right now would be Leipzig (12) and Leverkusen (11).
Next weekend will be off for the cup final between Frankfurt and Munich. The week after will feature no less than three key battles: Wolfsburg hosts Frankfurt, Potsdam travels to Duisburg, so that the top four are meeting directly. At the bottom, Leverkusen hosts Jena and has to win to be able to avoid relegation.