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Champions League quarter final recap, Her Game Our Take Ep.2
20 Plays3 months ago
Wolfsburg miss out on a miracle, Bayern progress by courtesy of 2 late goals and Arsenal wrestle down Chelsea at Stamford Bridge!
Today we discuss the second leg of the UEFA Womens Champions League quarter finals, from the goals to McCabes foul on Alyssa Thompson and how Wolfsburg dragged Lyonnais to extra time and almost got an upset draw to progress to the semis...keyword almost.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Her Game Take'
00:00:00
Speaker
I will be professional now. G'day there and welcome back to Her Game Take, our women's football podcast. I am your host Charlene. And am your co-host Rumiana.
UEFA Women's Champions League Quarterfinals Overview
00:00:11
Speaker
We had a really interesting and eventful set of first legs last week and now we're heading into the second leg of the UEFA Women's Champions League quarterfinals and there were only four teams that will remain standing.
00:00:22
Speaker
As we mentioned last time, we started this podcast because we wanted to give women's football more of the spotlight it deserves. And nights like these are exactly why. Because those are the big teams, big players who show up and everything on the line.
00:00:37
Speaker
Today we'll be looking at how the ties went this time around and what the teams achieved and who went through to the semis. As a reminder, the four quarterfinal ties are the following. Bayern Munich, Manchester United. Chelsea-Arsenal, the London Derby, El Clasico, Barcelona vs Real Madrid, and Olympique Lyon vs Wolfsburg.
00:00:59
Speaker
Let's get
Barcelona vs Real Madrid Recap
00:01:00
Speaker
into it. First, we'll discuss the results of the matches in short, kind of like what we did last in last week's episode. We will start with El Clasico, so Barcelona vs Real Madrid, because nobody really expected it. But here we go. It's an aggregate score of 12-2. So we'll keep this tie very short because, well, the results speak for themselves. Last week's result was 6-2 and this week it was 6-0 now for Barcelona.
00:01:32
Speaker
um I think the most interesting... thing about this game was that it was Barcelona's legend Alexia Puteas' 500th game. She scored. She also got an assist in this game. She scored the very first goal in the game in the eighth minute and then assisted seven or eight minutes later for the second goal of Caroline Hansen.
00:01:55
Speaker
Irene Paredes also got a goal in Eva Pagor, just like last time. Hansen with the second goal in the second half and the sixth goal was in the 74th minute by Esme Brutz.
00:02:12
Speaker
um I think whatever we say about this game, it will be enough because truly, truly the results speak for themselves. I don't think anyone expected Real Madrid to crash that badly and to not be able to respond actually. That was a proper demolition job.
00:02:31
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely.
Bayern Munich vs Manchester United Analysis
00:02:32
Speaker
Nice to see Camp Nou sold out. End of analysis. ah Yeah, oh pretty much. Because, yeah, well, Barcelona through to the semis where they will play Bayern Munich. So that will be quite an interesting tie as well. It will be in three weeks, more or less, 25th of April, the first leg. So we're very much looking forward to that.
00:02:58
Speaker
I think we can, yeah, we can truly move on to the other games. Truly, because Barcelona left us with not much analysis. So, which is the next game that you want to that you want to talk about, Charlie?
00:03:12
Speaker
um Since you mentioned that they will face Munich, let's talk about Bayern against United, I'd say. Yeah. Yeah, so Bayern went through to the semis after United had started out quite strong. In the 11th minute, scored with Melvin Mellar.
00:03:27
Speaker
Then 60 minutes of really not much happening. And in the end, Bayern get back to after corners through Vigas Atiyah and Lina Dahlmann, the 80th and 84th.
00:03:40
Speaker
And yeah, by that, they went to the semis. I think... What was interesting to me is Noah Schiller up front. I think they only subbed her in after they went down to the one And for for an aggregate, um speaks volumes about her time in the United shirt thus far. She's only scored once, and that was in the UEFA Cup. She didn't score in the Champions League thus far, neither in the league. And Malar had a like different tactical role this time around. Schiller used more space out and out on the wing um to deliver crosses to her teammates last week. And Malar was more of a threat in a 1v1 and to get finishes herself. And you could see that early on. I think she had three good chances. in the first 15 minutes. Obviously, when she scored the goal, there was an individual error by Mamutovic after an inside diagonal. But I think that one's more interesting because Bynes' defense was caught napping there. In general, they were like vulnerable to that. Yeah.
00:04:41
Speaker
And what i've what I also noticed is that both teams were very reactive in their approach. Like in the first legacy, both the teams focused more on their own strengths and here they focused. How can we prevent the other team from scoring, basically? there was There was a lot on the line, though, because what got me thinking is that if those two quick goals of Bayern didn't come like towards the end that you mentioned, In 88 minutes, Viggo Stotir and then four minutes later, Dalman.
00:05:11
Speaker
If those two goals did not happen, basically, I think it would have gone to extra time, wouldn't it? Because it would have been 3-3 since United got... ah got a goal early on so do you do you think that like Bayern I don't know got themselves together after the the middle of the second half or what do you think happened there because genuinely if it wasn't for those two quick goals they were heading to extra time and then you you never know
00:05:44
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. Bayern focused way more on defending this time around, especially Gilles and Vigas Dottier, who are centre-backs of Bayern, really had their work cut out for them. And it did work, um but the rest of the team seemed like it's like very like surface level psychology, but it didn't seem as secure. Since what you said, like in the second leg, you can always feel more pressure.
00:06:08
Speaker
um However, Bayern centre-back pairing really kept decomposed. Bayern won 83% of the tacklings and the look of the stats, particularly Gilles had an amazing night. I know that Vigestotti is the one scoring, but for me, Gilles is definitely the MVP this match.
00:06:26
Speaker
And also, Bayern really lacked quite a lot of ideas. In the last third, do you want to guess how many times Bayern just delivered Kroos into United's box? Haha.
00:06:38
Speaker
I don't... Hmm. Tell me. 29 times. well Whoa. 29. That's one every three minutes. And like for those people who have a life, analysts hate crosses because they have a really low probability of resulting in a goal because yeah they aren't as precise as like normal deliveries.
00:06:59
Speaker
And... It's really difficult to like plan those. And also like the centre-backs are usually the um tallest players on the pitch. And so most of them will get cleared anyway. And you can also see that in the precision. Because only 8 out of those 29 actually found their target. And even if a player gets a cross, it's a less precise chance than a player having the ball at her feet.
00:07:23
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. I think you're quite right with what you said about Bayern lacking in the last third, because I'm looking now at the sofa score ratings for the players.
Manchester United's Champions League Journey
00:07:34
Speaker
And Pernil Harder, who was pretty much like woman of the match last time, this time has a score of like 6.3, one of the lowest of the whole team.
00:07:44
Speaker
ah She didn't have an awful lot of touches. like The centre-backs, particularly Maya Letizia on United's end, were really honoured this time around and didn't yeah give Harder the same sort of space she had last week.
00:07:59
Speaker
Also Tanikawa being in the starting XI made a difference, I believe, because last time she got subbed in late and delivered quite long balls towards Harder and this time she was In a number 10 role, so higher up the pitch and last time.
00:08:14
Speaker
And also start started for match, which I think like showed. Because like in the last 15 minutes, Bayern got chances, but they were all after corners. like There wasn't like the same sort of energy off the bench as last time around. Darman, I believe, had a really good game of ah in both. legs um she had like obviously she has like the role that's like the most pleasing to watch as like like a free element in the last third basically to beat united's man or player marking she deserved at least scored a goal especially given her first leg performance yeah yeah she she's woman of the match according to okay so for score eight eight point seven quite quite a high rating i mean so for score always gives to one of goal scorers isn't it
00:08:55
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, and of course, yeah. And that goal, by way, corner kick and first ball doesn't get on target. And then Dallmann drills it in from like 10 meters out. Volley.
00:09:07
Speaker
That's quite some striking ability on display there. Yeah, I think un deservedly, deservedly so. She's... yeah Well, I think United believed in themselves ah maybe more than last time around. And I honestly think if it wasn't for those corners, if if it went to extra time, it could have gone either way. So my like kind of last question to you would be, um I read in a few places online that Manchester United didn't actually expect to come this far ah to the quarter finals of the of the Champions League or like maybe didn't expect to perform that well because they still got two goals in last time around and as I said like truly I think it was partially luck on Bayern's side, because if it if it had gone to extra time or penalties even, you never know. It it could have been Manchester United standing in the semi-finals now. So do you think, did you expect them to come this far? Like, what do you think of their performance in general, like this season in in the Champions League, let's say?
00:10:10
Speaker
You mean, what did I think, pre-season or...? ah No, just in general. Did you think that they will theyll reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League? Because a lot of people online were commenting that they didn't see this coming, let's say. like They were commenting underneath their posts.
00:10:30
Speaker
Probably not, but I don't think it's like some sort of miracle run. Like when you look at United's squad, I mentioned that last time, like via recruitment on the transfer market, which was quite opportunistic, could give you like the fantasy of ah quarter a quarterfinal run at least. I mean, you don't pick up like players like like Rolfo or Schüller and I think Mervyn Mola played there for even a bit longer. Those players definitely have like Champions League knockout match quality.
00:11:01
Speaker
I do not think it's like completely out of left field. Look, I'll be honest, I didn't expect that um before we started, but also, like, i I think, for example, Wolfsburg reaching the quarterfinal is more significant than United, um also given v um the financial resources of the English league nowadays.
00:11:23
Speaker
Right, yeah, absolutely
Chelsea vs Arsenal Controversies
00:11:25
Speaker
yeah, absolutely. We'll talk about Wolfsburg in just a few minutes, like can more in-depth. Am I not saying that Wolfsburg don't have no money and like work on an SC Freiburg-level budget? Obviously not, but... Yeah. I also don't feel like that surprised for Manchester United to be in the quarters, and I...
00:11:45
Speaker
I actually agree with you with this squad. They are up for good things. So, yeah, we'll see how they perform next season. But I think that was quite a ah good run by them.
00:11:59
Speaker
Yeah. And like I said, like, especially when you've got like a Melvin Mela up front, you still got a Rolf who can assist that. I think I didn't but speak about it, but like in my notes, I mentioned Olme a lot. I think she had a pretty great game.
00:12:17
Speaker
and I believe that this we have to look out for the squad in the next two to three years to come. Yeah, yeah. I actually am of the same opinion as you on that one. So, yeah.
00:12:31
Speaker
By the way, interesting note look yeah note, which I didn't get to say earlier. I do not know what to think of Gwyn in the role as a second striker.
00:12:43
Speaker
Correct. Because yeah when you look at it, like in the 25th minute, for example, she goes out of out of her way from right back. She advanced away to like left striker, which was definitely an interesting choice.
00:13:00
Speaker
But I don't think that's like her end. Didn't work that well. It did not. Yeah, they yeah but they had her up there and then they delivered crosses. Or let me rephrase that. They tried delivering crosses that didn't reach their target.
00:13:19
Speaker
Yeah. Well, if you don't have anything else to add on Bayern and United, we can focus our attention toward the London Derby. Oh, the London Derby.
00:13:32
Speaker
and Chelsea. So how did you see this game then? It was at Stamford Bridge this time around.
00:13:43
Speaker
This game was bonkers, girl. um So we had 10 exciting minutes at the beginning. Then we have nothing happening until like the 70 something minute.
00:13:59
Speaker
And then enough happens to fill three matches. Yeah, that that was pretty much it. Yeah, Chelsea really, in my eyes, like Chelsea were all out in these like last...
00:14:12
Speaker
gloves were off yeah they were just like all in I think they were like trying for a miracle but they had to they obviously had to ah but but they threw everything including the kitchen sink at Arsenal didn't they yeah literally we forgot to mention that the like the end result of this tie it was 1-0 Chelsea but the overall result is 3-2 to Arsenal so Arsenal proceeds in the semis where they will meet Leon. Yeah. First of all,
00:14:51
Speaker
um first of all I do not like talking riffs, but I believe we have to do that here. So let's just do that up front. I don't like it Yes, so there was a bit of a scandal. Yeah, tell us about it. And we can actually discuss that because that was pretty much the most interesting thing that came out of of this tie.
00:15:11
Speaker
Oh, I disagree. um Oh, I mean, yeah, one let's say one of the most interesting, but definitely if there was some news okay some heat after the game. But tell us about it. Yeah, I can't find my note to um as in what what minute that happened, but Arsenal left back um Katie McCabe in an effort to stop a counter-attack tried to grab Lissa Thompson's shirt.
00:15:39
Speaker
ah like she She claims that she tried to reach for a shirt but grabbed her hair instead. yep And she did not get sent off for that. The referee didn't even like give a foul to Arsenal, which, well, um put quite a bit of heat in a game where everything was on the line anyhow. And Sonia Bampesta, the Chelsea head coach...
00:16:09
Speaker
really was very vocal about her protest towards the referee and got sent off with two successive yellow cards.
00:16:18
Speaker
Which... The thing is, I never like when managers complain or yell to the ref too much. I will completely defend Mompasta on that one because how the hell was this not a straight red for McCabe?
00:16:34
Speaker
It wouldn't have it would have changed the result. Don't get me wrong. Arsenal would have still probably advanced because like it happened in the 80-something minutes. Like, it probably wouldn't have changed the outcome, but Katie McCabe has to get sent off. We we cannot have VAR in a high-profile match and then let something like this slide. And it's it's not like, you know, this is unprecedented. Like, um i remember last Euros, Kati Hendrisch grabbed, I cannot recall who's he, one of a French attackers.
00:17:08
Speaker
And she also got sent off straight away. You know, deservedly so. You can't pull someone's fricking ah f freaking hair, like... Tactical... Yeah, it's only a tactical foul, but still, like, there's no word in English for tätlichkeit, which is like and unsportive behavior. Yeah.
00:17:31
Speaker
Basically, with I think, for the closest translation. Yeah. Lost four words. Yeah, yeah. I am with you on that one. A lot was written, a lot was said after this happened. Even Sonia Bonpastor in the post-match interview, she yeah yeah she came with the like with the proof. She she pulled a Toto Wolff or what was that meme? I have it printed out. yeah ah Yes. I mean, I deservedly so. I think she, yeah, she she was in all her right to do so because, yeah, very, very strange decision. Very weird. And as you said, especially when there is VAR, extremely weird. Why did this not get, it did not get picked up and she didn't even receive a yell or nothing, like a foul, nothing, nothing.
00:18:28
Speaker
um yeah So this is what I meant when I said earlier that this was like the quote-unquote most interesting part of the game. I don't mean to, um you know, devoid of meaning the football part and like the football efforts, but this, unfortunately, this is like the the highlight that came out of the game and that was most talked about afterwards.
00:18:51
Speaker
All right, we forgot to mention between all the yellow cards in the last 20 minutes, also some football was played. no yeah Yeah, imagine that. ah Chelsea really ah early turned up. like early ah Early doors, they had like three or four chances with Suka Nuskan assisting one with her back heel um and and once um shooting herself. In general, Suka Nuskan with a very um flashy game, I would say.
00:19:18
Speaker
um She obviously missed quite a lot of chances, but like her off-the-ball movement is amazing. She had the role of a channel midfielder, delivering deep runs. And not exactly the second striker role she had last week, but this time she like arrived late in the box. Sven Kerr, who's obviously were set the centre-forward of Chelsea, like she arrived...
00:19:39
Speaker
later later to either be like a second a second attacker and give the defense one more to worry about or like be in the space behind the defense as like in a second wave sort of attack and she got quite a few chances um just she really needs to convert one I know that she got one in 90 plus 3 or something um but that was obviously too little too late I really feel a bit for her because I really liked her when she was in the Bundesliga and I really hope that she can get some consistency in next season because I believe it's like career year for her.
00:20:23
Speaker
Like now it's now it's make or break. Like she had like a year where she was like a reserve for Chelsea basically. Like ah like somebody who just gets subbed in sometimes. Now she gets her chance um and plays well but just she looks unlucky to the average football fan I'd say.
00:20:41
Speaker
because like you know like her assists like her passes uh don't lead to assists even though they're really good in the last third and she doesn't score herself like like like like ah just watch the off the ball movement before she scolds her goal like the way she um she runs in a bow and loses uh her defender and body and body blocks everybody in the way that's yeah that's really really good Yeah, absolutely. And I wanted to mention that I read some rumors that Sam Kerr most likely will be leaving Chelsea. I don't know if you saw that. So if that happens, maybe Nuskan can get um more of a a role in this team, like more of us a starting lineup role.
00:21:24
Speaker
and whatnot. But yeah, I'm not sure if if you've seen the rumors, but yeah, Sankir might be headed out of Chelsea. I didn't see.
00:21:36
Speaker
ah Maybe if Nuskin improves her finishing, she could like profit if Chelsea bring in like a different sort of striker, like somebody who's like better at or that yeah yeah at passing back and like play with the back back towards Wiener.
00:21:52
Speaker
like some like a striker who drops deeper and gets more involved in linker play but I don't see Nuskin's future up front I know it has been tried and I've seen Frankfurt use her a number 9 occasionally But I do not believe that's the best position. Like, I do believe, like, the channel midfielder role does suit her. By the way, um also wanted to mention that Arsenal lay back for most of the match other than Daphne Domsselaar. Oh, yeah. Definitely need needs a mention. She was...
00:22:29
Speaker
She was quite outstanding. Player of a match. That was one of the most impressive goalkeeping performances I've seen in quite a while. I've seen a post on ah Blue Sky, which is like a Twitter alternative. An Arsenal fan saying Chelsea's shots are all like like a shitty 2000s movie.
00:22:47
Speaker
Straight to DVD. I
Arsenal's Defensive Showcase
00:22:50
Speaker
love that. and Love that joke. Yeah. Daphne van Domzelaar. Yeah. How did you see her game? amazing.
00:22:59
Speaker
Like, she didn't have much to do in terms of build-up play, because she didn't have a ball at her feet an awful lot, but what performance game in terms of shot-stopping ability. Like, she saved Arsenal a lot in this toy. I do not believe that they would have advanced if... I really like Annika Borba, who played it last week, but I do not believe Arsenal would have gone through if Annika Borba would have been...
00:23:27
Speaker
would have played in goal instead of Van Domzelaar. Yeah, I think Renee Sledgers knew what she was doing, putting Domzelaar for this tie, like this time around, putting her in goal. I think this was very much deliberate.
00:23:41
Speaker
Yeah. And also Arsenal, like like I said, like very passive, um similar to what I mentioned earlier with Bayern and United, like the teams really got how the other team heard from last week around and like was focused on solving that issue instead of focusing on their own strength. which I completely get in a knockout tie, but it also made for so ah made for more boring football, I would say, up to the 20th minute, ah where, as you mentioned, like the gloves were just off. like When I look at like my chance ah chances notes for Arsenal, fifteenth
00:24:17
Speaker
Nothing happening. And then 71st, 73rd, 74th, 79th, Blacks Deniers scores an offside goal. 83rd, 89th.
00:24:29
Speaker
Arsenal also like found quite a lot of chances once like Chelsea obviously had to open up and like send everybody up front who was was somehow able to score a goal.
00:24:41
Speaker
Lucy Bross played every single role in the last 20 minutes. Yeah, I was going to say this because an episode of ours won't go unless I mention Lucy Bronze. She is player of the match in this game, 8.9 sofa score rating, which, yeah, we talked about how these ratings are not the the most accurate ever. But still, she's incredible. What an incredible player. Always, always, like when you need her and wherever you need her. She's there. Other
00:25:15
Speaker
other than the Blacks genius offside goal, she was really, really great as a centre-back. This time she she didn't wasn't deployed as a full-back because Carpenter was back in general.
00:25:26
Speaker
i was so happy the commentator meant mentioning that yeah the quality of a game really picks up now that we've got all the four Australians back. Australia mentioned, baby. and Yeah. I know you love that one. Especially Carpenter. An amazing game like as a lift left basically wing back for Chelsea. like She played very offensively. lot of crosses. Made a lot of runs with ah with a ball at her feet.
00:25:53
Speaker
um yeah great get Great game of hers. Sam Kerr had quite a few chances but couldn't convert any of them. By the way, I've also noted that Chelsea have hit the woodwork four times this match.
00:26:10
Speaker
Damn. Yeah. Also, and Arsenal too, by the way, in 90 plus one, they also hit post because Arsenal, for some reason, had a really high press in the last 10 minutes or so. They were really aggressive, trying to...
00:26:30
Speaker
hurt which like was unfamiliar unfamiliar um in case of how risky it is because like um I get that like Chelsea only had like one or two defenders like left left of the back because obviously they had to throw everything up front and Arsenal really tried to sting them way and because like ah like just mathematically like it makes sense because they're like fewer plays you have to outnumber I thought that was like really interesting um given that they sat back for the majority of the match.
00:27:03
Speaker
But that made for some pretty amazing football. Like in general, I can only recommend watching only the last 20 minutes. Like the game really picks up from like the sixty eighth minute. Just i was gonna say yeah watch from there on out and Jesus Christ! Yeah, the last 20 minutes. Yeah, that's that's when the real game happened.
00:27:26
Speaker
I take notes. I like every chance I deem significant and I think i have 16 notes just from the 17th minute onwards. Yeah, so sounds sounds like that game. Yeah, of course.
00:27:42
Speaker
Some would say unlucky for Chelsea, others would say lucky for Arsenal with this goalkeeper and like everything that happened. But it is what it is, I guess. Arsenal are through.
00:27:54
Speaker
Arsenal will meet Lyon in the next leg and I think that's a good segue for us to...
Lyon vs Wolfsburg Showdown
00:28:00
Speaker
um Start discussing our cherry on top of the cake, our game that we'll dive into the most, which is between Lyon and Wolfsburg, which ended in an aggregate of 4-1 because Wolfsburg won the first leg 1-0.
00:28:18
Speaker
This one went to extra time. Many things happening. Charlie, go ahead, please. So, yeah, um Leon came out guns blazing, basically, like really high pressing, very attacking, very aggressive early on.
00:28:38
Speaker
And the first chance was after 40 seconds, Higerberg. And but that like set the tone pretty well because after just 16 minutes, um Leon did get the goal. Like high press and then linker play.
00:28:55
Speaker
Johannes converts, although it must be said that Mingott deflected that shot, so it was unsavable for Steno Johannes in goal. Who went on to have a pretty amazing game herself.
00:29:09
Speaker
um Basically carrying this Wolfsburg team to extra time in the first place. And then um I watched it with a friend of mine. And we both thought that like Leon had more in the tank in terms of energy. But like only 10 more men minutes than Wolfsburg. But that you know that did suffice to get past him here.
00:29:35
Speaker
they were like just a bit sharper for 10 more minutes. And then in that in those 10 minutes between like the 95th and the one hundred and fifth minute, I'd say, they really got their chances. um they They missed two sitters.
00:29:54
Speaker
And then in the 98th, they scored an offside goal. And then in the and 115 two, basical basicco to more And yeah, then in the 119th, Wolfsburg opened up completely just to win the bag.
00:30:11
Speaker
you know Game put to bed. so i don't think the scoreline reflects um how well Wolfsburg played. Because I will say like Wolfsburg had an amazing performance in terms of defending. They were like in a very, very deep 5-4-1.
00:30:26
Speaker
five four one particularly the three center backs, really dropped in deep. um There were times when in the second half where every single Wolfsburg player was in their own third.
00:30:40
Speaker
And I will also ah say that Petemore and Kierland and levels later when she got something in for Kierland were really good at like closing those lanes I mentioned for inside diagonals, overpasses from the fullback position into central spaces up front.
00:30:58
Speaker
You had Paddemo and Kieland sitting really deep and blocking those passing lanes um whenever the ball was at in a fullback position. And outside of that...
00:31:10
Speaker
Wolfsburg were amazing in what I mentioned last week also, the player-to-player marking. So like it wasn't at all like to block spaces particularly whenever it wasn't to block these particular passing lanes.
00:31:25
Speaker
like It was just everybody gra well everybody grab a Lyon player and basically follow them anywhere they go.
00:31:35
Speaker
And it worked pretty well. like fa The only one they always left open was a white player on the side where the ball wasn't on in any given moment.
00:31:45
Speaker
And that came back to bite them later on. Because Leon realized, and they also realized that Wolfsburg like to just drop deep um and votes in those moments and just leave Leon with a possession.
00:32:00
Speaker
And the goals were all scored and also two sitters were created with crosses um from the wide player on like around the, I would say, 16 meters out wide and then just behind the defense when they weren't dropping back to ah to like the touchline just yet.
00:32:21
Speaker
And then on the wide post, someone was available. Yeah. um I think one goal was scored that way and at least two very high profile chances were created. Wolfsburg were really good at preventing in the regular 90 minutes. like when When it comes to and big chances, according to SofaScore, both teams only had one in the first 90 minutes.
00:32:42
Speaker
So Lyon had like a lot of chances, but none of them like really high profile. And like I said, Stina Johannes with one hell of a game in Wolfsburg go, like, getting all of those, I'd say, I call them half chances saved.
00:32:59
Speaker
Enough yapping from my side for now. you yeah ah Yeah, I also thought Wolfsburg definitely surprised me because the fact that they managed to to go to extra time.
00:33:13
Speaker
ah And as you said, in these first 90 minutes, not... not a lot happened in this sense that Lyon got their goal. They got their, uh, like going to extra time.
00:33:28
Speaker
Unfortunately, after the extra time, that was going to be my question to you. What happened then? What, how do you see it? Like what happened with Wolfsburg for them to crash that badly, so to speak, and, and, uh, for them to get three more goals in their net and, and, uh, ultimately like drop out of the competition. But honestly, because as i said as we said earlier with Man United and Bayern, who were also pretty close to the extra time.
00:33:59
Speaker
ah But here it's a very different story because Lyon actually, after the extra time began, they pulled themselves together and like they they are in the semis. But Wolfsburg actually genuinely had a shot there for...
00:34:18
Speaker
for Maybe for a few minutes, but they did have a shot and the fact that they brought it to extra time. But yeah, what do you think went wrong for them mainly? the but the The one thing that went wrong for them after the 90th minute, what do you think?
00:34:31
Speaker
um I will come back to what I said about the the crosses behind the defense when Lior didn't allow them to drop as deep as they did but in the regular 90. I really believe that made the difference because all of a sudden Wolfsburg's defense felt shaky. Moments both Wolfsburg and Lior realized that Wolfsburg were vulnerable in with this particular play.
00:34:55
Speaker
with what i what I mentioned, with a cross behind behind the fence. And yeah, all of a sudden, like, the game felt like it was, like, even more one-sided. Because like I guess said, like, they only had what a one high-profile chance, you know, despite dominating the game. And also Wolfsburg only had one shot on target in the regular 90. But that was such a high-profile one.
00:35:20
Speaker
Hoot after counter cross to Enderman. And it's really, you know, like too much to ask. like if you Because it was only one chance and the Wolfsburg offense didn't really get much of the ball. And like, it's probably too much to ask to like convert for only chance that you got when you are not partaking in the game basically for 70 minutes. Because that shot came courtesy of the 28th minute.
00:35:48
Speaker
But if they wanted to go through, that would have been the moment. Yes, you mentioned earlier when we spoke about Bayern and United that actually United were not that big of a surprise, so to say to you, but Wolfsburg reaching this stage was incredible.
00:36:10
Speaker
Wolfsburg have been in a decline for a couple of years now, which came um courtesy of them. like They invested in women's football quite heavily in the 2010s.
00:36:23
Speaker
And then recently Bayern increased their spending a lot um and Wolfsburg didn't at the same rate. And also I believe there's ceiling with Wolfsburg in terms of like the fan potential they can reach because Sounds really mean, but like there Bayern fans everywhere in Germany and Wolfsburg just aren't the same into ah in terms of that. And I just believe they reached the glass ceiling and they are still like able to attract quite a number of high profile Bundesliga players.
00:36:57
Speaker
When you're like a hot prospect and you get offers Bayern, Wolfsburg and take any mid-level English club, the English clubs will be better to will be able to pay better salaries and probably give training facilities on par or better than Wolfsburg and buy another more competitive team.
00:37:20
Speaker
so Do you think like similar thing happens ah with Bayern? Like what happens with the men's team of Bayern? Same thing, not same, but like similar thing happens with the women's teams because seems to me they are on top of the women's Bundesliga and with quite ah quite a few points difference, Wolfsburg are second. second um But still, as you said, like something is lacking.
00:37:53
Speaker
I do want to talk about the Bundesliga some more at another time. And I don't want to like go into detail on this, but I had a discussion discussion recently with a friend where... basically like quintessential um was that we are very afraid for the Bundesliga in terms of its competitiveness because Bayern have drew fuck because Bayern drew their first match against promoted team Jena and since then they've won every single bloody match of Bundesliga I
00:38:32
Speaker
um yeah i Both me and my friend, we believe that the Bundesliga will be a very one-sided affair in the years to come. And we don't, and neither of us, see Schwarzburg seriously challenging Bayern anytime soon.
00:38:51
Speaker
And yeah, Bayern are en route for an unbeaten season. And honestly, at this point, it would be more surprising if they wouldn't get it.
00:39:04
Speaker
And that like speaks volumes about like where the league is at. Yeah, I think we can dedicate an episode to this because it's a really interesting topic.
00:39:17
Speaker
Her game, Artake Bundesliga Special. Yes. So definitely, I think it's worth it to like go more in depth in a separate episode. Yeah.
00:39:29
Speaker
But yeah, so if you don't have anything else to add about Lyon versus Wolfsburg, that game, maybe we can just repeat who the semifinals a couples will be, the both semifinals, and then maybe like speak a little tiny bit about predictions, if we may.
UEFA Women's Champions League Semifinals Predictions
00:39:53
Speaker
Yeah, after the last time went so well, when we both were fairly confident that Leo would just ah smash Wolfsburg to pieces. I think we we saw in the future.
00:40:05
Speaker
well ah but i wouldn't i would round I wouldn't count that as a win for us because it went all the way to extra time. so yeah Yeah, I think this time around it will be much harder for us to pick in the future, so to speak, because Bayern versus Barcelona, let's so repeat who the the ties are.
00:40:25
Speaker
Bayern versus Barcelona and Arsenal versus Lyon. ah For me, it's quite unpredictable. Honestly, i Barcelona are very strong.
00:40:38
Speaker
Most likely, they will be one of the finalists. But between Arsenal and Lyon, me personally, i don't know what to think. It can go either way. And then in the final, again,
00:40:51
Speaker
no clue who will Barcelona are quite strong and if Bon Mati there's Aitana Bon Mati their star comes back by then like by the time for when the final comes which is 23rd of May ah if she's back then maybe they'll get another one in the back they're really strong but what if Bayern get Clara Bühl back for the semis Well, then ah even more interesting ties for us. Hopefully she's back. She recovers.
00:41:26
Speaker
um Honestly, it can go either way because as we see, not Chelsea is a strong team, but they Chelsea and Man United, both of them, I think, quite unlucky, so so to speak. Like,
00:41:42
Speaker
especially towards the end of their games. It could have gone either way for both of them, so you never know. Arsenal are also really strong as well. They're Champions League winners as well. um i will also oh I will always love Barcelona vs Arsenal final, even though it will be a repeat. ah But this is that will be interesting. But yeah, let's let's wait and see, I guess. what What do you think? How will the semifinals go?
00:42:18
Speaker
give us Give us a prediction. I'm a pessimist in the same way I believe that the Bundesliga is really wrapped up for this season and the years to come. I believe that the Champions League a close job in terms of that. I don't see anyone but Barcelona and Arsenal winning anytime soon, unfortunately.
00:42:38
Speaker
So if was a betting woman, which I'm not, um I'd say that Barcelona and Arsenal will probably progress to the final. And hello, this is Charlene in post. We had quite a few technical gremlins this time around from lost audio tracks and internet issues and stuff crashing and me not being able to finish a freaking sentence in the intro.
Podcast Wrap-Up and Listener Engagement
00:43:05
Speaker
But we made it. Thank you so much for tuning in. Feel free to tell us how you felt about about these games. I certainly had lot of fun analyzing them, watching them and discussing them on here. And yeah, also feel free to leave us any feedback if you wish to do so. And um yeah, have a nice day.
00:43:24
Speaker
Go Donya.