Big wins, emotional comebacks and loads of Bayern goals – the group stage for FC Bayern Women in the UEFA Women's Champions League featured a number of highlights. Thanks to five impressive victories, Munich again secured a ticket for the quarter-finals in the top club competition in European women’s football. fcbayern.com looks back at the Champions League campaign for the team under head coach Alexander Straus to date.
Brilliant start to the qualifier
Every reason to celebrate: Munich beat Real Sociedad 3-1 in the second leg to secure a ticket for the group stage of the Champions League.
FC Bayern Women were in sparkling form at the start of the new season and easily qualified for the Champions League thanks to impressive wins against Real Sociedad. In the first clash with the Spanish runners-up, the Munich women won 1-0 thanks to a strike from Lea Schüller. And Bayern kept their noses in front in the second leg with a 3-1 victory. A brace from Linda Dallmann plus another Schüller goal saw the team under head coach Alexander Strauss again qualify for the group stage of the UEFA Women's Champions League.
Off to a flying start
Bayern secured a hard-fought victory over FC Rosengård in the Champions League opener.
At the start of the group stage, the team including Sarah Zadradil, Jovana Damnjanović and Co. faced the Swedish serial champions from Rosengård at home at the FC Bayern Campus. Munich took control from the start and dominated the game against the deep-defending opponents - who still took the lead out of the blue on 25 minutes. Bayern remained undaunted and levelled ten minutes later with a goal from Carolin Simon. The great effort from Straus's team was finally rewarded in the second half. Thanks to the winner from Linda Dallmann to make the score 2-1, Bayern secured the first Champions League win of the season and thereby remained unbeaten in eight games across all competitions.
Frantic finale in Lisbon
Match winner: Georgia Stanway put Bayern on course for victory with her late brace.
A scarcely more dramatic and thrilling match could have awaited the Munich women on matchday two in the group stage at Benfica. FCB found it difficult to get into the game against As Águias and trailed 2-0 to the Portuguese side early on. For a long time it looked like a first defeat in the UWCL season but Bayern again demonstrated their battling qualities and turned an apparently lost game round. Maximiliane Rall revived the hopes of the Reds with a goal to make it 2-1. Munich then pressed hard for the equaliser, which Georgia Stanway scored on 83 minutes. Shortly after that, she again made a mark on the game with the England UEFA Women’s EURO champion scoring a wonderful goal to seal a 3-2 win for Bayern in Portugal’s capital.
Champions League on the big stage
Tough encounter: Lina Magull and Co. had to settle for a 3-0 defeat against Barcelona despite a good performance in much of the game.
Champions League in Europe's biggest stadium – the FCB Women experienced that for the first time with the away game at Barcelona. The team under head coach Straus probably faced their biggest challenge against last year's UWCL finalists in what is currently the toughest encounter in European club football. Bayern competed on equal terms for much of the game in front of 46,967 spectators at Camp Nou before the Catalonian star ensemble proved to be clinically effective. Three goals from Barça in 19 minutes finally inflicted defeat on Munich – but a chance to take revenge soon came.
A night to remember
Sheer ecstasy: Bayern sealed the first win at the Allianz Arena with a 3-1 victory against Barcelona.
Just two weeks after defeat in the capital of Catalonia, FCB entertained the Blaugranas in the second leg in the Bavarian state capital – at the Allianz Arena in Munich to be more exact. In front of a record crowd of 24,000, Straus's team were highly motivated from the kick-off and crushed the as yet unbeaten Catalonians in style. Early goals from birthday girl Klara Bühl and skipper Lina Magull in the first ten minutes plus a headed goal from Lea Schüller ensured victory for Munich in the big match. A consolation goal from Barça’s Geyse at 3-1 did not affect the result. This gala performance against possibly the best team in Europe at the moment not only provided an early seasonal present for Munich but the record crowd in the north of the city also clearly enjoyed a legendary night at the Allianz Arena.
Goals galore in Sweden
Tainara kicked off the Bavarian goal fest in Malmö in freezing temperatures.
FCB clocked up a significantly more convincing win in the away game at FC Rosengård. Munich were on the front foot from the start against the current Swedish champions and made it clear which team would leave the pitch as winners. In the first half, Tainara put Bayern ahead at the Idrottsplats in Malmö. The team under Straus had everything under control in the second half and goals from Sydney Lohmann, Georgia Stanway and Champions League debutant Julia Landenberger rounded off the scoring off at 4-0. That meant Bayern not only registered a fourth win in the fifth group match, but a runaway 6-2 victory for Barcelona in their clash with Benfica made it certain that Munich would be in the quarter-finals.
Crowning finish on home turf
Successful finale: Bayern celebrated an impressive 2-0 win against Benfica in the last match of the calendar year.
Munich once again demonstrated their supremacy in the final group match with a fifth win in the sixth game. The Reds earned a deserved 2-0 victory over Benfica with a brace from Klara Bühl, and thereby finished second in Group D. Chelsea, Arsenal or VfL Wolfsburg are the three possible opponents in the quarter-finals. The draw on 10 February 2023 will determine which team FCB will face.
A review of 2022 for FC Bayern Women:
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