New Delhi: Like the evening showers, Eintracht Frankfurt were unrelenting and overwhelming against SC Freiburg in Round 6 of the 24/25 Women’s Bundesliga, with the visitors capsizing in a 6-0 victory that has now sent Frankfurt a point clear of Bayern Munich at the very summit of the league table.
Within the opening 40 minutes of the tie, Frankfurt managed to have entire spells of domination and profligacy, before finding their first breakthrough from a sumptuous Laura Freigang finish. A red card for Freiburg centerback Julia Stierli was the first nail in the coffin, with Freigang adding one more with a close-range header. As if their own efforts weren’t sufficient, crucial mistakes from Freiburg were a gift for the hosts, with midfielder Barbara Dunst scoring in the 75th minute. Freigang’s substitution was hardly a respite, with her replacement Remina Chiba completing a hattrick within stoppage time itself.
With a status of “best-of-the-rest” hanging ever heavier on the necks of Eintracht Frankfurt, most eyes were certainly directed towards the developments occurring at Stadion am Brentanobad. After all, Bayern Munich of all teams had not only dropped points, but saw their 44 matches-long winning streak collapse at Wolfsburg on Saturday. Somehow, the more intriguing possibility was that Frankfurt couldn’t only dream, but realistically aim to end the round looking down on the rest of the field.
Skipper Freigang a talisman against profligacy
Their opponents in SC Freiburg, having lost only one match so far (with the nature of that loss being disputed by the club) were clearly not in the mood to help roll down the red carpet, deadset in pressing high and building out from the back. Except the latter was hardly witnessed, considering the chokehold Frankfurt maintained on possession from the outset. Freiburg keeper Rafaela Borggräfe was called into action in just the fifth minute, rushing out from her area at a lightning pace to clear a weighted pass for Frankfurt fullback Nina Lührssen.
From there, the broadcast quickly changed to the Laura Freigang show. Like a montage from a ’80s flick, the talismanic Frankfurt skipper was let loose in the Freiburg penalty area. First using her close control to hypnotize a sparse backline and seeing her deflected shot kiss the crossbar, before sending her header tiptoeing just inches from the far post. By the time she almost dribbled past the entire opposition backline, only to send her final pass to forward Nicole Anyomi wayward, it was looking a bit ridiculous.
⏱️ 90.+4: Laura zeigt es an: Eintracht Frankfurt heute 𝗮𝘂𝗳 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗘𝗶𝗻𝘀! ❤️🔥❤️🔥
––––––#SGE #EintrachtFrauen | #DieLiga #SGESCF | 6:0 pic.twitter.com/e0N8X7Uzjl
— Eintracht Frankfurt Frauen (@EintrachtFrauen) October 14, 2024
More ridiculous was what followed the 20th minute-mark. Forward Geraldine Reuteler was released by Anyomi at the edge of the box, but certainly could’ve tested Borggräfe better. The keeper thanked her stars when Anyomi turned her marker with ease, powered down the box and after seeing her scuffed pass return to her own feet, shot straight at the Freiburg keeper from close-range. You could’ve almost given the keeper the player of the match award, for mere minutes later she saved another point-blank shot, this time from Freigang.
If Freiburg were sensing the rumblings of yet another upset victory over a possession-dominating side who just couldn’t score, then fullback Alina Axtmann’s failed clearance in the 35th minute doused that fantasy. Reuteler picked up the loose ball and set Freigang on a one-way route to goal, with the skipper conjuring a picturesque curling finish straight out of the training ground.
Chiba’s express-hattrick blows 10-woman Freiburg apart
Freiburg looked to have found the perfect start when a throw-in allowed them to finally catch a whiff of Frankfurt’s box, until they turned the ball over and allowed Reuteler to release Anyomi past the last line of defence in Freiburg centerback Stierli. What at first seemed like a hopeful pass always ending up with Stierli, turned out to her doom as Anyomi burst across her and won a foul, thus handing Stierli a red card.
Freiburg could’ve complained whether the centerback was truly the last line of defence, but were indefensible in the events that led to Freigang’s second goal. A cross to Reuteler in the right channel should’ve been cleared by Freiburg forward Selina Vobian, who instead headed the ball into Reuteler’s stride. All the Swiss forward had to do was drive to the byline and cross to Freigang, who simply nudged the ball from the six-yard box into an open net.
Soon, Borggräfe’s problems weren’t deemed enough by fate, who also ensured that the keeper nursed an injury after getting stuck in the turf and landing heftily on her hip. She was bailed out in the 61st minute when she let a corner sail past her, only for Freiburg centerforward Shekiera Martinez to clear the ball from the goalline.
Ein Abend zum Vergessen. pic.twitter.com/fdr69zRv2r
— SC Freiburg (@scfreiburg) October 14, 2024
Minutes later, she saw her launched goal kick return to her own box in the form of a cross, somehow reacting with enough dexterity to save Frankfurt substitute Lara Prasnikar’s header from up close. She was, however, left too exposed when her centerback Samantha Steuerwald woefully mishit a clearance, allowing a cross to reach an unmarker Dunst at the far post to score with relative ease.
Apart from a mind-boggling double save in the 86th minute from Borggräfe, the only remotely positive moment for the hosts arrived in the 83rd minute, when Steuerwald receiving a noticable shove from Frankfurt’s Nadine Riesen from a corner sparked penalty shouts.
If Freiburg felt hard done by the decision, they would’ve been livid when the same allowed a Frankfurt corner delivery to fall at the feet of substitute Remina Chiba. Unmarked at the far post, the volley was unsaveable, and so was the next one, after Axtmann could only clear a cross till the Japanese forward. Like a child serving detention at school, Frankfurt delivered punishment via repetition, with another cross finding Chiba unmarked at the far post, the following volley a grisly ribbon on a six-goal rout.
If Bayern’s shocking loss at Wolfsburg wasn’t enough, Frankfurt experienced plenty “schadenfreude” against rival Freiburg in performance fitting of a league-leader. Read the match report for all the details. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
