On-song FCB Women thrash Freiburg

FC Bayern Women produced an exhibition display on Saturday afternoon as they cruised to an emphatic 8-2 success at home to SC Freiburg. Alexander Straus’ side scored no fewer than six times in a rampant first half, with Maximiliane Rall and Sydney Lohmann both netting braces and Saki Kumagai and Carolin Simon also getting on the scoresheet to give the Munich girls a commanding lead at the break. After Annabel Schasching’s goal for Freiburg shortly after the restart, late goals from Lea Schüller and Klara Bühl made it 8-1 to Bayern. Marie Müller’s 90th-minute effort for the visitors made the scoreline no less impressive.

The result makes it 16 wins from 18 league matches this season and leaves FCB Women top of the FLYERALARM Women’s Bundesliga on 49 points, one ahead of rivals Wolfsburg with four fixtures left.

Two changes to line-up

Straus made two changes to the starting XI from the DFB Cup semi-final defeat to Wolfsburg last weekend. Carolin Simon was preferred to Tuva Hansen in defence - the German international making her 100th appearance in a Bayern shirt. Jovana Damnjanović also returned to the side in place of Lea Schüller.

Bayern hit six in first half

The hosts made an excellent start at the FC Bayern Campus and overran Freiburg in the first half. Rall was in the right place to head in Simon's free kick (11') and give Bayern a deserved lead. Shortly after they were celebrating again after SCF goalkeeper Lena Nuding could only push Georgia Stanway's long-range shot out in front. Saki Kumagai was lurking and had a simpe tap-in from three metres.

Rall and Lohmann at the double

Four minutes later, Nuding was picking the ball out of her net again when Simon found the bottom corner with a powerful free kick from 17 metres. The goals kept flowing as Bühl crossed the ball from the left into the penalty area, where Lohmann scored the fourth with 29 minutes on the clock. Two minutes later, it was 5-0 courtesy of Rall's low drive from eight metres. A dominant first half was crowned by Lohmann, who scored her second from Bühl's assist to make it 6-0 at half-time.

Comfortable second half

Bayern continued to impress in the second period. Although Freiburg pulled a goal back through Schasching (49'), the sixth-placed visitors offered little going forward after that. It was more a case of damage limitation for the Black Forest side, who managed to avoid conceding any more goals until the 81st minute, when substitute Schüller bagged her tenth of the season. Bühl provided the eighth Bayern goal of the day three minutes later, before Müller's last-minute consolation for Freiburg from the penalty spot.

Essen away and Hoffenheim at home next

With no fixtures next weekend, Bayern Women return to action on Saturday 6 May with a trip to SGS Essen. The Matchday 19 clash kicks off at 13:00 CEST at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße. A week later, on Friday 12 May, Straus' charges host TSG 1899 Hofenheim at the FC Bayern Campus (kick-off 19:15 CEST).