The SGS Essen women’s footballers have only played 0-0 against MSV Duisburg. But it was enough to keep them in the league.
The relief was great, but the disappointment about the past 90 minutes could not be completely overlooked: Wearing special T-shirts, the players of the Bundesliga football team SGS Essen celebrated their now secure stay in the relegation zone. After the 0:0 in the derby against MSV Duisburg, the motto at Hafenstraße in Essen was: “Women’s Bundesliga in Essen – here for 20 years”. After the relegation of the traditional club Turbine Potsdam, Essen will thus be the last club without a connection to a men’s club in the coming season.
“It’s annoying that there was only one point in the last home game,” said Essen’s Vivien Endemann. A win and three points at Hafenstraße would have been nicer. MSV Duisburg, on the other hand, still has to worry about staying in the top flight – it won’t be clear until next Sunday after the last matchday. Then the Duisburg women will play against TSG Hoffenheim, who are fourth in the table. The hope, however, is that SV Meppen will be the second team to be relegated. Meppen will play third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt as a glaring outsider.
Meanwhile, the title race has been postponed. VfL Wolfsburg won 3:2 (0:1) at SV Meppen on Sunday after trailing twice. As a result, last year’s champions moved to within two points of leaders FC Bayern Munich, who missed out on an early title win with a 0-0 draw at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Three days after winning the DFB Cup in Cologne, Wolfsburg needed a great energy performance to win this duel in Lower Saxony. Alexandra Popp scored the winning goal only in injury time (90.+4 minute). Sarah Schulte (30th) and Lisa Josten (84th) had twice put the relegation-threatened Emslanders in the lead. Jill Roord (63rd) and Pauline Bremer (88th) equalised twice for the Champions League finalists.
In the season finale next Sunday (2 p.m.), Munich are the clear favourites to face relegated Turbine Potsdam. Wolfsburg will play against cup finalists SC Freiburg. VfL will also face FC Barcelona in the Champions League final in Eindhoven on 3 June.
