Emphatic win against Vålerenga: FCB Women storm straight into the Champions League quarter-finals

A successful night for FC Bayern Women! On Wednesday, in front of 2,120 spectators on their home turf at the Campus stadium, they secured an emphatic 3-0 (2-0) win against Vålerenga in the UEFA Women's Champions League.

With president Herbert Hainer, men's head coach Vincent Kompany, board member for sport Max Eberl and rising star Lennart Karl watching on, Momoko Tanikawa (2'), Stine Ballisager (11') and Pernille Harder (59') got the goals.

Now it’ s certain: With Matchday 6 done and dusted, FCB Women are in fourth place so progress directly to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. YES!

Coach José Barcala was happy and recalled  the bitter 7-1 defeat to Barcelona at the start of the campaign: "We put in a very strong performance at a high tempo. It was the result of a long journey after a difficult start. We're happy with fourth place, but we also know that we still have work to do."

Barcala was forced to do without Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir at short notice due to illness, with Stine Ballisager replacing her in the starting XI against her former club. Mala Grohs, who had twisted her ankle in training, was also absent.

But the team worked perfectly even without them. "The start to the Champions League campaign was very disappointing, but we showed character afterwards. We can be proud of that," Georgia Stanway concluded.

FCB got off to a dream start when Momoko Tanikawa put her side ahead in the second minute. After a quick attack involving Jovana Damnjanović on the right wing, the ball ended up at Tanikawa’s feet via Franziska Kett. The Japan international finished with an impeccable low, well-placed left-footed shot, immediately tilting the game in the right direction.

Not long afterwards – with 11 minutes on the clock – the lead was doubled. And how! Ballisager took off from her own half with the ball at her feet, and no one could stop her. She ran and ran and finally let fly with a shot from 17 metres. The right-footed strike landed in the right corner and was an incredibly important moment that gave Bayern complete control.

After those two quick goals, Bayern initially focused on controlled defending and concentrated on their build-up play. Vålerenga tried to gain more possession and create chances, but failed to pose any real threat on goal. The Munich side controlled the tempo and repeatedly sought to boldly get forward.

Huge chances before the break

And that produced huge chances for Harder (32'), Georgia Stanway (34', missed penalty) and Klara Bühl (41'). It should have been 3-0 before half-time, which would have reflected the imbalance of power. Instead, the two-goal deficit flattered the Norwegians going into the break.

The pressure on the visitors' goal continued unabated in the second half. However, it took until the 59th minute for the long-awaited third goal to arrive. Bühl delivered a silky cross from the left into the centre and this time Harder finished coolly with her head. It was her fifth goal of the current campaign and her 50th for FC Bayern overall. Impressive!

Full steam ahead until the end

From then on, it was clear that the win was in the bag, as the difference in quality between the two sides became all too apparent. The Munich women didn't give their opponents a moment's respite. Only goalkeeper Tove Enblom stood out with a few good saves. FCB continued to press forward relentlessly, with focused passing and plenty of power in their tackling.

Characteristically, when Vålerenga did manage to break through in the 70th minute, Bühl sprinted back and defused the situation before it became really dangerous.

A header from Natalia Padilla Bidas (85') was disallowed for offside, then Tanikawa’s effort hit the post (89').

Overall, it was a mature performance and laid down a marker for the side's ambitions this season.

The quarter-final ties will be played on 24/25 March and 1/2 April.

The year will now conclude with an away match at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga. Kick-off is at 18:00 CET on Monday, 22 December.