One title, three stories: FCB Women lay down a marker

There are titles that feel like a matter of course. And there are titles you only really appreciate after the final whistle, when you see how much they mean. The FC Bayern Women’s Google Pixel Supercup triumph definitely belongs in the second category.

José Barcala’s team have shown a strong early form in Saturday night’s 3-0 victory over VfL Wolfsburg at Ingolstadt’s Audi-Sportpark, their long-standing rivals, seven-time German champions and last season’s runners-up. Three goals, three stories, a statement that’s more than the numbers might suggest.

Barcala: ‘We know how it’s done’

The Supercup is a special fixture in the calendar. It counts, but not quite all the way. It’s the start and a snapshot of the team’s form, a title you take home, but it doesn’t determine the rest of the season. And yet: anyone who watched FC Bayern Women on Saturday knows it was more than just a nice addition to the trophy cabinet. It’s a headline that Munich are now sole record winners with three titles.

Another headline that’s more significant: the team picked up where they left off in May. No cautious approach but a statement against the opponents who’ve always been their benchmark in recent years. “Winning is a habit, and we know how it’s done,” said the head coach, proud of his players’ mentality, and explained what matters most to him: “I’m very happy we’ve won the title. But what makes me even happier is our performance and the individual performances our players turned in.”

Damnjanović and Wolfsburg

There are players who have a relationship to certain opponents that can’t be explained rationally. Jovana Damnjanović and VfL Wolfsburg have such a relationship. Her former club, the stage where she had also scored in the last Supercup, the opponents against whom she stepped up at the right moments again and again in the last few encounters – and now she broke the deadlock once again in the 32^nd minute.

The moment was like a twist of fate. Klara Bühl’s free-kick, Damnjanović’s header, the ball sailing towards goal and crossing the line in the hands of keeper Stina Johannes. You could call it luck; if we’re honest, it was. But it was also typical. Damnjanović knew where she had to be. For some players, it might be a coincidence. When Damnjanović faces Wolfsburg, it’s routine.

Bühl’s brace

If Damnjanović was responsible for dramatic twists of fate, Bühl was the architect of the early decision. Two goals within four minutes of playing time, the first late into added time, the second in the first minute after the restart. The sort of brace that puts a game to bed before the opposition can realise what’s happened.

The free-kick four minutes into added time was a masterpiece: from the edge of the box, with spin, into the far corner of the net. A goal you want to watch again and again. Such shots are in Bühl’s repertoire, and when she pulls them off in a final, it’s the signature of a player who saves them for the big moments. She can’t explain it herself: “I have no problems performing well, even in big matches. I don’t know why, but I’m extremely grateful for it, and I’m glad I could help the team again today.”

The third goal, less than a minute after the restart, showed a different facet of Bühl: individual brilliance and pace down the left. After Alara’s pass, she sidestepped a defender and fired home with her left foot. The matter was all but settled after 46 minutes. Wolfsburg’s hopes of regrouping at half-time were immediately dashed.

Mahmutovic the pillar

People rarely talk about a goalkeeper whose team just won 3-0. Wrongly so in this case. There were phases when Wolfsburg came nearer to a goal than the scoreline suggests. VfL were in the driving seat in the first ten minutes. Cora Zicai alone had three presentable chances in the opening stages and hit the woodwork from distance after 38 minutes. After the break, chances came and went for Ella Peddemors (56’) and Svenja Huth (76’) before Sophia Kleinherne hit the bar after 83 minutes.

Plenty of moments that can turn a Supercup on its head. And when Ena Mahmutovic was there. The reflex save against Zicai in the ninth minute. The focus when Huth passed down the right. The composure when Wolfsburg refused to give up and pushed for a goal. “Wolfsburg really put us under pressure in the first half. We need to get into rhythm earlier than we do now, but it’s still very early in the season,” commented Linda Dallmann. Mahmutovic was the saviour in the first half-hour when Bayern had yet to get into their stride.

Early form? Oh yes! 

VfL Wolfsburg didn’t turn in a poor performance. They were the bolder team at the start, with Zicai taking the most shots of all players. They created chances even when Bayern were three up. But FC Bayern Women showed why they won the double last season and why they have the ambition to pick up where they left off: they were clinical in the moments that counted. Bühl was the best player on the pitch. Damnjanović scored when Bayern had a hard time. And Mahmutovic was the saviour between the sticks.

What Bühl said after the match almost sounded like a threat: “You could see today what quality we have in the squad, but we’ll get even stronger when some of our injured players return in the coming weeks.”

Early form? That’s almost an understatement. Bayern laid down a marker on Saturday.

🗞️ The match report: