FC Bayern Women extend Bundesliga lead with big win at Carl Zeiss Jena

FC Bayern Women claimed a 6-0 win away at Carl Zeiss Jena on Wednesday evening in their rearranged Matchday 16 fixture. Jovana Damnjanović bagged a brace in the first half to open the scoring, with Momoko Tanikawa getting the third before the break. Georgia Stanway, Pernille Harder and Edna Imade added to the scoreline in the second period.

Bayern’s 16th win in a row takes them up to 49 points from a possible 51 in the Google Pixel Bundesliga this season, opening up a 12-point lead over Wolfsburg, who have two games in hand.

Three first-half goals

José Barcala’s side were on the front foot from the start but initially struggled to create any chances. The breakthrough finally came in the 19th minute when Damnjanović finished into the bottom right corner on the spin inside the D. Tanikawa had the opportunity to double the advantage moments later but failed to convert her solo run through the Jena half. Damnjanović made no mistake to bag her brace when she put away Linda Dallmann’s pass after bursting through the middle. Tanikawa did get her goal and Bayern’s third before the break when teed up by Harder on the right of goal and finishing off the inside of the far post.

Hit for six

The second half continued the pattern of the first as the Munich Frauen dominated the Bundesliga’s bottom side. It took just five minutes to add a fourth when Carolin Simon slipped in Stanway to finish on the angle from the right. It was 5-0 before the hour mark when Harder was founded unmarked from the left in the middle to turn the ball home. Barcala made a number of substitutions in the closing stages, during which Jena were awarded and missed a penalty, Lisa Gora putting her shot against Mala Grohs’ right-hand post. Imade then marked her first start for the club with the sixth and final goal two minutes from time.

Bremen and Wolfsburg to come

Bayern are again on the road for their next game as they visit Werder Bremen on Monday, 16 February (18:00 CET). The following Sunday the league leaders welcome rivals Wolfsburg to the Campus (16:20).