Wolfsburg and Munich showed little signs of fatigue after playing midweek Champions League ties as they eased past 'Gladbach and Frankfurt respectively, elsewhere Turbine put five beyond Werder as Hoffenheim claimed a late win over Freiburg, Sand fell to a narrow loss to Essen and Duisburg gave their survival hopes a boost with a win over Leverkusen.
TSG Hoffenheim 2-1 SC Freiburg
Without a league win since December, TSG lifted themselves to fifth with a win over an inconsistent SCF side. Riding their luck at times and requiring Martina Tufekovic to make a few big saves, the hosts took the lead just before the half hour when Lena Lattwein slotted the ball beyond Merle Frohms and into the far corner. Restoring parity almost instantly, Freiburg hit back as Anja Hegenauer reacted well to nod Giulia Gwinn’s whipped corner in at the far post. The match decided 15 minutes from time when Janina Minge sent an all too powerful back pass towards Frohms, the ball skipping up away from the goalkeeper and into the open net.
SC Sand 0-1 SGS Essen
Having hit a rough patch of form, there was little Sand could do to steer their season back onto track when Essen rolled into town. SGS, enjoying their own mixed season took the lead five minutes before the break when Lea Schüller floated a superb header over the box and into the top right corner at a Manjou Wilde corner.
The match remained well open after the goal and both sides had their fair share of chances but the last laughs went to Lisa Klostermann and Carina Schlüter, the latter notably pulling out a fine stop to deny Ramona Petzelberger from the spot.
Turbine Potsdam 5-0 Werder Bremen
Without a league win in their last three, Potsdam managed to regalvanise their season with a hearty win over a Bremen side looking down the real possibility of relegation. In her second appearance of the year since returning from injury, Gina-Maria Chmielinski nodded the hosts ahead half-way through the half when she sent Amanda Ilestedt’s header into the back of the net.
The hosts doubled the advantage six minutes later, at another Felicitas Rauch free kick, Johanna Elsig the one to connect and get the better of Anneke Borbe. Two became three after the break when Viktoria Schwalm scored the first of her two, arriving at the back post to send Svenja Huth’s cross over the line. Schwalm only needed another eight minutes to complete her brace, the 21-year-old free in a similar area to roll Anna Gaspar’s cutback into the waiting net. A threat all match at set pieces as short corner and neat one-two with Huth saw Rauch claim the fifth goal of the match when her cross-cum-shot curled into the top left corner, wrapping up the rout, ensuring all goals came from the right.
MSV Duisburg 1-0 Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Having slipped into the danger-zone as Bayer have picked up steam, MSV gave their survival hopes a helpful boost with a late winner at home to their relegation rivals, going ahead of them on goal difference alone. Keeping Anna Klink busy all match, Dörthe Hoppius finally got her goal seven minutes from time when she volleyed Klink’s parry of Kathleen Radtke’s shot back into the waiting net for her eighth goal of the season.
VfL Wolfsburg 8-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Needing just 18 minutes to get going, the hosts took the lead through a trademark Alex Popp header before Caroline Graham Hansen drew Lisa Venrath out and slid the ball into the waiting goal. The third came just four minutes later courtesy of the Norwegian when she slipped around the defence before pulling the trigger.
Three goals up but showing no signs of stopping, the hosts added a four more in the space of eight second half minutes, first Katharina Baunach did well to stay on her feet and blast the ball home from a tight angle before Popp found the back of the net from 20-yards. Three minutes later, Popp had her hat trick when she scored from even further out with a bullet that flew into Venrath’s net, the hapless goalkeeper forced to pick the ball out again just second later as Noelle Maritz was left in space to fire home. The gloss put on 15 minutes from time when Ewa Pajor, fresh off of the bench, was found by Ella Masar in the box, the Pole extending her tally for the season to 19 with her composed finish.
FFC Frankfurt 0-3 Bayern München
Unable to find a way through their hosts over the first half, in a match that the Bavarians would be loathed to lose as they chase down Wolfsburg, the visitors found a breakthrough early in the second half. Possibly feeling the weight of the extra Champions League games, Bayern took advantage of FFC being without first choice ‘keeper Bryane Heaberlin when Jill Roord broke the deadlock, her low shot grazing Cara Bösl’s fingertips as it snuck past and into the corner. One became two just three minutes later when Fridolina Rolfö picked up Sydney Lohmann’s neat pass to clip it beyond Bösl, the second-choice goalkeeper again getting something on the ball.
Despite having chances throughout, Frankfurt were left without a hope of a comeback when Lohmann added a third 15 minutes from time, reacting at speed to lift the ball over Bösl at a scrappy corner.