FC Bayern Women through to DFB Cup quarter-finals

FC Bayern Women are through to the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup after a 6-0 win away at Kickers Offenbach in the round of 16 on Wednesday. Jovana Damnjanović opened the scoring on 21 minutes with her 50th Bayern goal. Sydney Lohmann doubled the advantage three minutes later. Jill Baijings (77’), Alara Şehitler (85’) and Pernille Harder (88’, 90’) added to the score in the second half against the third-tier club.

Victory sets up a quarter-final clash away at Carl Zeiss Jena on Tuesday, 5 March.

A much changed side

Head coach Alexander Straus made a whole nine changes to his team from the weekend’s 5-0 win away at Köln in the Google Pixel Bundesliga. Only centre-backs Linda Sembrant and Glódís Viggósdóttir retained their places. Anna Wellmann and Şehitler both made their first competitive starts for Munich.

Bayern remained without Carolin Simon (cruciate ligament), Weronika Zawistowska (cruciate ligament), Cecilia Ran Runarsdottir (kneecap), Magdalena Eriksson (metatarsal), Ana Maria Guzman (knee) and Tainara (illness).

FCB dominant throughout

Bayern lived up to their role as clear favourites right from the start and camped out almost without interruption in the Offenbach half. However, the home team kept it tight in the penalty box and so the first big chance did not materialise until the 17th minute. Franziska Kett's low cross found Lohmann, who connected with a back-heel but only hit the right-hand post.

Four minutes later, the Bundesliga side took a deserved lead. Cnce again, it was Kett with a dynamic break on the edge of the penalty area and a clever pass to Damnjanović. The striker left her opponent Huhn standing and fired in her 50th Bayern goal. Shortly afterwards, Lohmann increased the half-time lead to 2-0 with a header from a Baijings cross.

Late goals to round off the win

Offenbach started the second half much more courageously and were able to win a corner in the 55th minute, but this proved no problem for FCB keeper Wellmann. Meanwhile, Die Frauen were no longer quite as determined with their chances, although after a beutifully flighted corner from Inès Belloumou, Damnjanović cleverly put the ball on target with her heel, but the hosts were able to clear.

It was the 77th minute before the Munich side put the outcome beyond doubt. Substitute Linda Dallmann passed sharply into the box, where Baijings was lurking, sticking her left foot out to make it 3-0. Shortly afterwards, Şehitler scored with a half-volley from Kett's pass to make it 4-0, before Harder headed home to increase the lead to 5-0 and then completed her brace and rounded off the scoring in the 90th minute.

At home to Essen before international break

Before most of the Bayern players head off to their national teams for the international break, Munich host SGS Essen at their home FC Bayern Campus on Sunday, 18 February. Kick-off against the team lying seventh in the Google Pixel Bundesliga is at 4pm CET.