Gilles double fires Bayern Women into next round

• Vanessa Gilles nets twice as FCB come from behind
• Competitive debut for Regina van Eijk
• First match at Borussia-Park

FC Bayern Women began their DFB Cup defence with a 2-1 victory at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Sunday afternoon. The hosts took the lead on the stroke of half-time at Borussia-Park through Luca Graf, but a quickfire double from Vanessa Gilles in the second half turned the game around and ensured that Bayern advanced to the round of 16.

Barcala: ‘We have to reflect on this game’

José Barcala: “I’d like to give credit to Borussia Mönchengladbach for their performance and apologise to our fans for the fact we played well below our level today. The tactical changes during the break did have an effect. The match also showed that Klara Bühl and Vanessa Gilles are two very important players for us. Nevertheless, it’s certainly a game that we need to reflect on and analyse.”

Bühl: ‘It was extremely tough’

Klara Bühl: “In the end we’re very pleased to get through to the next round. The game here was extremely tough and uncomfortable – Gladbach deserve great respect for that. We found it difficult to deal with their game initially, and going behind was unusual for us. But we know we have the quality to turn these games around and believe in ourselves. The changes at half-time brought more fluidity and structure to our play.”

Tough start against plucky Gladbach

The hosts started the match bravely and fashioned the first two chances. Mia Giesen headed a free kick onto the upright after 15 minutes, and the 17-year-old was at the centre of it again two minutes later, when she ran onto a through ball deep in the Munich half. However, in a one-v-one against Regina van Eijk, making her competitive debut for Bayern, Giesen narrowly missed the target.

Those two chances acted as a wake-up call for the cup holders, who now camped themselves in the opposition half and got closer to Luisa Palmen’s goal with two long-range efforts from Sarah Mattner. The best opportunity fell to Edna Imade in the 33rd minute, when she glanced a header just wide. With the last action of the first half, the Foals earned a corner, from which Luca Graf headed the second-tier side in front.

Gilles brace turns it around

The Munich girls went straight back on the attack after the restart, with Franziska Kett firing straight at Palmen. Two minutes later, Giulia Gwinn, one of three half-time substitutes, won two corners in quick succession. The second found Vanessa Gilles but her attempt just missed the target. The visitors were well on top now as they pushed for an equaliser, but for a long time struggled to create clear-cut opportunities against the compact and hardworking Borussia side.

The long-overdue equaliser eventually arrived in minute 74. A precise corner from Klara Bühl landed at the feet of Gilles on the edge of the six-yard box, and she hammered it into the roof of the net. The Canadian was also on hand for her team defensively at the other end, forcing Giesen wide in the penalty area so that her finish was no problem for van Eijk. Six minutes after the equaliser, the Bühl-Gilles duo combined again with an almost identical goal, Gilles turning in Bühl’s corner with a skilful flick.

Trips to Lisbon and Frankfurt next

The double winners are back in action on Wednesday as they face Benfica on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Women’s Champions League from 21:00 CEST. FCB Women are on the road again three days later, travelling to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday 3 October (17:55 CEST) in the final match before the international break.