DFB Cup victory
Wolfsburg now have Barcelona in their sights: “Don’t hide”
The footballers of VfL Wolfsburg are now the sole record winners of the DFB Cup. photo
© David Indian song / dpa
After the final is before the final: That applies to the women of VfL Wolfsburg, who still have the highlight of the season ahead of them after Cologne – and are challenging FC Barcelona.
After their tenth DFB Cup victory, the VfL Wolfsburg footballers are highly motivated going into the premier class final on June 3 in Eindhoven against FC Barcelona.
“I think the constellation is completely the other way around in the Champions League final,” said coach Tommy Stroot after the 4-1 win over SC Freiburg in Cologne. “Barça are the clear favourites. But I know how dangerous that makes us, what energy that can release, so I’m really looking forward to the final.”
His team has the quality of a top team, “to let go again very quickly and to concentrate on the next task,” added the 34-year-old at the press conference. Stroot was referring to the 4-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt last Sunday, when the players around captain Alexandra Popp practically gambled away the championship, which FC Bayern Munich can now secure. In the Bundesliga, however, the Wolfsburg team does not want to be accused of distorting the competition and want to seriously tackle the last games at SV Meppen and again against SC Freiburg on the next two Sundays.
Now sole record winner
After triumphing in the cup final, Stroot was “extremely proud” of his team, which is now the sole record winner ahead of 1. FFC Frankfurt (nine titles). “A record that will be very, very difficult to break in the future.” The record crowd in the DFB Cup of 44,808 spectators in the sold-out Rhein-Energie Stadium also delighted the VfL coach: “It’s really a great development when I see what happened after the European Championship. Very, very valuable for women’s football generally.”
VfL, who won the title in the premier class in 2013 and 2014, are doing well against Barcelona: “We made it to the final, as a German club we don’t have to hide at all,” said Stroot.