Bayern Munich dethrone Wolfsburg to become champions for first time since 2016
The title race went down to the final day but, after four years of Wolfsburg dominance, the Women’s Bundesliga has a new champion: Bayern Munich.
The Bavarians sealed their third Bundesliga title, and fourth German championship overall, with a 4-0 win at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, finally going that extra step after four years as runners-up.
“My trust in my players is limitless,” head coach Jens Scheuer had said pre-match, and his team quickly showed why, with midfielder Linda Dallmann setting the tone early on with a quick-fire brace inside 25 minutes at the FC Bayern Campus.
Simultaneously, challengers and reigning champions Wolfsburg were already 4-0 up against Werder Bremen and would go on to win 8-0. But they could have won 20-0 and it wouldn’t have made a difference, with leaders Bayern only needing to avoid defeat.
For Wolfsburg, the damage was done a month ago when they could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Bayern, when a win would have seen them go top with just two games remaining.
Instead, Bayern had their fate in their own hands and added a third goal early in the second half when Frankfurt captain Laura Störzel sliced a cross over her own goalkeeper and into her own net. Lea Schüller added a fourth goal with the final kick of the game.
With the title as good as confirmed, veteran Simone Laudehr came on for the final ten minutes, the 34-year-old making her 210th and final Bundesliga appearance, and adding the Bundesliga title to the World Cup, European Championship and Olympic titles won in a glittering career.
Women’s football at Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have operated a women’s football team since 1970 and won their first women’s championship in 1976, back when a regional competition was concluded with a final tournament. Following the introduction of a two-track Bundesliga in 1990, Bayern were relegated in 1992 and didn’t return until 2000. But they to wait until 2014/15 and 2015/16 for back-to-back titles.
Recently, new Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer had promised additional support and funding for the women’s team in response to the threat from Wolfsburg domestically and the English Women’s Super League (WSL) abroad.
“The championship would be the crowning moment and the deserved reward for the path we have taken, continually strengthening the team to establish ourselves at the top in Germany and internationally,” Hainer told Munich’s Tageszeitung newspaper ahead of the final game of the season.
Indeed, at international level, Bayern still have work to do after being beaten 5-3 on aggregate by Chelsea in the Champions League semifinal this season, despite a first leg victory and a respectable performance. They also exited the German Cup at the semifinal stage, losing 2-0 to Wolfsburg.
“We are only halfway into our four-year plan and we will keep investing,” promised Hainer, highlighting the signing of Japanese World Cup winning midfielder Saki Kumagi from Olympique Lyon ahead of next season.
“In order to promote women’s football in German more generally and remain competitive internationally, we desperately need to work on structures,” he added. “We need better infrastructure and a more professional general organization.”