FCB Women get off to winning start in opener at Union

• Bühl, Harder, Viggósdóttir & Proost on target for Bayern
• Harder makes 100th appearance for FCB
• Home games against Mainz and Freiburg next

FC Bayern Women made a successful start to the new Bundesliga season with a 4-1 win at 1. FC Union Berlin on Friday evening. Watched by a crowd of 17,083 at the Alten Försterei, Klara Bühl gave Bayern the lead with a free kick (26th minute). Pernille Harder (47’) made it 2-0 shortly after the break, before captain Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir netted the third goal on the hour mark. Union’s Nele Bauereisen reduced the deficit but Sophie Proost completed the 4-1 victory with her debut goal for the Munich club in the 90th minute.

Bühl: ‘It was really fun’

“We’re on the right track, we have a clear manner in which we want to play, and you could see that today too,” said Bühl. “Now it’s about linking up better in our play and creating more chances. On the whole it was a good performance and we enjoyed the atmosphere. It was really fun to play in front of so many fans. It’s always special here at the Alten Försterei.”

Bühl with first goal of the season

With Pernille Harder making her 100th competitive appearance for FC Bayern, the visitors enjoyed the majority of possession in the early stages and fashioned the first opening on four minutes, Linda Dallmann firing wide from a central position around 18 metres from goal. But it was Union who had the first big chance in a lively start to the match: with seven minutes gone, Lisanne Gräwe released Eileen Campbell with a long ball. The Austrian ran through on goal but steered the ball just wide of the left post, with Ena Mahmutovic beaten.

It remained an even contest after that. In the 13th minute, Klara Bühl picked out Dallmann with a precise cross, but her header was too central to trouble goalkeeper Cara Bösl. The hosts remained a threat, too, Tomke Schneider testing Mahmutovic with a long-range effort. The deadlock was broken when Bayern were awarded a free kick for a foul on Jovana Damnjanović right on the edge of the box, which Bühl splendidly curled around the wall and into the right corner. The Munich girls became more fluid in their passing after that, particularly in the middle.

Three Bayern goals in second half

José Barcala’s side came out on the front foot after the restart and doubled their lead within two minutes. Harder pounced on a loose back-pass from Leela Egli and slotted the ball into the right corner from 17 metres. Union didn’t surrender, though. In the 50th minute, Jill Janssen found Egli in the penalty area, but she missed the opportunity to shoot first-time and was crowded out by the Munich defence.

FCB looked to wrap things up after that, with Dallmann’s deflected shot from distance being saved by Bösl. The Münchnerinnen eventually got the third goal on the hour mark, when Bühl’s pacey cross sailed through the Berlin penalty box and past Schneider and Janssen, who got in each other’s way. Viggósdóttir nipped in at the far post to poke the ball over the line. The hosts gave it one last push in the closing stages and got their reward. Janssen’s cross was headed back across goal by Weidauer at the far post, and Bauereisen took advantage of some disorganisation in the Bayern defence to head the ball in. But Bayern had the final say, with Harder being released by a long ball and cutting the ball back to Proost, who netted her debut goal from close range.

At home to Mainz and Freiburg

After the opening match in Berlin, FC Bayern Women now have back-to-back home games at the FC Bayern Campus. The double winners host promoted side 1. FSV Mainz 05 on Monday 31 August (18:00 CEST), before SC Freiburg visit Munich on Matchday 3 on Sunday 6 September (16:00 CEST).