FC Bayern Women kick off season with 2-0 win in Potsdam

FC Bayern Women kicked off the defence of their Google Pixel Bundesliga title with a 2-0 win away at Turbine Potsdam in the season’s opening match on Friday evening. Linda Sembrant’s two headed goals in either half were enough for Alexander Straus’s side to start the new league campaign with three points at the Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion.

Harder and Bühl into side

Straus made four changes to the team that started last weekend’s 1-0 win over Wolfsburg in the Google Pixel Supercup. Sembrant and Carolin Simon came into defence for Magdelena Eriksson and Tuva Hansen, while Pernille Harder and Klara Bühl got the nod over Jovana Damnjanovic and Linda Dallmann in attack.

Narrow half-time lead

Bayern were the team in the ascendency from the start in Brandenburg and created the first chance when Sydney Lohmann clipped the ball over the Turbine defence for Lea Schüller, but her first-time shot went over Anna Terestyenyi’s goal. There was no mistake from Sembrant on 22 minutes, though, when the Swede got onto Simon’s corner at the far post and headed in before a defender could clear off the line.

Controlled second half

Things continued in the same pattern after the break as Bayern moved the ball and forced Turbine to chase after it. Schüller had the opportunity to double the advantage shortly after the restart, but Potsdam were just about able to clear the danger. Terestyenyi then denied Lohmann one-on-one, but she was unable to prevent a late Bayern second as she missed a corner into the box, where Sembrant powered home her second header of the day to wrap things up. Summer signing Julia Zigiotti was handed her debut for Bayern in the closing minutes.

Cup at Sand then at home to Leipzig

With the first three points of the season on the board, Bayern now turn their attentions to the DFB Cup and their second-round tie away at Sand on Sunday, 8 September (kick-off: 2pm CEST). The first home game of the campaign then sees RB Leipzig visit the FC Bayern Campus on Friday, 13 September (6.30pm).