FC Bayern Women defeat Leipzig in the Munich snow

• Positive start to the year
• Now unbeaten in 16 games 
• Bernadette Amani makes competitive debut

Three points to start 2026! FC Bayern Women celebrated a convincing 3-0 win against RB Leipzig on Sunday evening, extending their impressive winning run in the Bundesliga to 11 games and their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 16.

In front of a home crowd at the FC Bayern Campus, Momoko Tanikawa (6’) gave the defending double winners an early lead through a penalty, before an own goal by Leipzig’s Kyra Spitzner (67’) as well as strike from substitute Jovana Damnjanović (69’) sealed a 3-0 victory.

Honour for Franziska Kett 

Before kick-off, Franziska Kett received special recognition. The 21-year-old full-back has been given the award as Munich’s Elite Student of the Year 2025 by the German Olympic Sports Confederation and the German Savings Banks Association. She was selected out of several young female and male athletes in a vote with representatives of the schools and the Olympic centre.

Barcala: ‘Have to stay in the game’

“We knew it would be a dangerous game today and we had to be particularly careful, especially because of the conditions,” said head coach José Barcala afterwards. “We were able to impose our game for 15 to 20 minutes at the start, but then the pitch became so slow that it was almost impossible to play precise football. When you can’t produce your own game as normal, you have to adapt, defend resolutely and stay in the game. At the end we then had the opportunity to calm it down again and regain control.”

Kett: ‘I’m very happy’

“I’m very happy that I was involved in a goal today, but the three more points are more important,” stressed Kett after the final whistle. “It was really tough to play with the snow on the turf, so we’re just glad that we managed to get the three points.”

Penalty ensures half-time lead

Despite driving snow in Munich, FC Bayern Women made the better start and were rewarded after just six minutes. After a nice one-two with Tanikawa, Georgia Stanway took aim. Her shot struck the hand of Leipzig’s Norheim and Tanikawa netted the subsequent penalty into the bottom right corner to make it 1-0.

Around 10 minutes later, Bayern fashioned two more chances in quick succession. Both were set up by Klara Bühl from the left side, but neither Tanikawa (16’) or Pernille Harder (18’) could apply the finishing touch.

With half an hour gone, the double winners upped the tempo in search of the second goal, but Harder narrowly missed a fierce delivery from Tanikawa and Linda Dallmann’s flick from Bühl’s pass was also thwarted by the Leipzig defence.

Subs strike twice to seal the win

It was pretty much the same story in the second half. The snow halted and Bayern began with a number of attacks down the left flank. At the same time, the visitors came into the game more and tested the Munich defence a number of times in the first 10 minutes after the restart, but Ena Mahmutovic and her defenders stood up to the pressure. It was to and fro after that, albeit without many real chances.

That changed in the 67th minute, when a corner from Bühl found Kett, just on as a substitute, whose shot was diverted into her own net by the unfortunate Spitzner. Just two minutes later, another accurate set piece from Bühl was headed goalwards by Vanessa Gilles. Leipzig goalkeeper Elvira Herzog saved initially but the rebound landed right at the feet of substitute Damnjanović, who tapped it in to make it 3-0.

Three successive away trips

FC Bayern Women will be clocking up the miles in the Bundesliga over the coming weeks. On Friday 30 January (18:30 CET), the double winners travel to Carl Zeiss Jena. A week later, on another Friday evening (6 February, 18:30 CET), the Munich girls are in action at SC Freiburg. The run of away matches is rounded off on Monday 16 February (18:00 CET) with the trip to Werder Bremen. That’s followed by the highlight of the month with the top-of-the-table clash against VfL Wolfsburg in Munich on 22 February (16:20 CET).