After a corner, the ball bounced around in a group of players in front of the FC Bayern goal like an object that was too hot. A thing that nobody wants to hold in their hands for too long and would rather pass it on to the next best thing very quickly. The soccer players from Olympique Lyon wanted to push the ball over the white line, the Munich women gave everything to steer it in the opposite direction. And at the end of this scene, which was what the course of the scene until it was dissolved, would hit Lyon seconds before the end.
But somehow somebody actually got the ball off goal in this commotion. At the same time, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, the final whistle manifested the Bundesliga club’s 1-0 (0-0) against the record winner of the Champions League in the Campus Stadium. Among the 1857 spectators was also the men’s head coach Julian Nagelsmann, who cheered with the applause.
Bayern were able to cheer for staying on course for the quarter-finals with their success, with seven points they are behind Lyon (9) after the fourth day of the group. “It was such a mutual holding of breath,” said Carolin Simon, long after everyone had found a regular breathing rhythm again. “We celebrated it almost like our own goal when the ball was gone. We all started to breathe again and were glad we couldn’t get another ball of eggs.”
That evening it looked as if the teams had swapped roles within a week – and not just the color of their jerseys from red to white or from white to red. In the 2-1 win in Lyon, the hosts (in white) had with theirs Presence and their pressing were so impressed that Bayern (in red) had hardly found their way into the game. But now they again radiated (in white) that mixture of self-confidence and confidence that they missed a few days ago.
And instead of being taken by surprise by the speed of the physically strong French women (in red), the Munich women set accents themselves, countered well and showed the necessary tackle strength as well as precision in playing with the ball. It was as if their senses were sharper, the muscle tension higher, the plan more sophisticated. And it showed what potential coach Jens Scheuer from the bank can access, especially in the person of Jovana Damnjanovic.
The decisive goal is achieved by Saki Kumagai – still employed at Olympique until the summer
In the first hour, Bayern had created more chances and thus made life difficult for Lyon, which not only raised the eyebrows of Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg, but also led to a need for discussion in the entire orienteering team. The reigning master had made life difficult for himself. Most of the moves from a promising position ended in hasty conclusions. Until Damnjanovic came on in the 67th minute.
Full commitment from the first minute of substitution: Jovana Damnjanovic (2nd from left) in a duel with Lyons Amandine Henry.
(Photo: Sven Leifer / foto2press / imago)
The Serbian had not even entered the field, by then she was already fully in combat mode. Her gaze alone radiated: Dear ones, I looked at this from the bench, you played really well, but now I’m going to bring fire into the matter! On the square, every movement, every action seemed as if Damnjanovic needed an outlet for all the energy that had built up not only while watching that evening. But also in the many months before that, in which she was forced to change her perspective.
In August 2020, the striker tore her cruciate ligament – in the Champions League quarter-finals against Lyon. About a year later she started playing again for the first time and lost none of her aggressiveness and mileage. Scheuer was now pursuing a very specific plan with her.
“With her substitution we wanted to bring a mentality player who throws herself into everything,” he said. “Jovi is such a mentality monster when she comes from the bank. With her you know exactly what you get. She did an outstanding job.” The game-deciding scene was supposed to initiate their first action, so to speak. Damnjanovic ran and plowed and pulled out a corner.
Simon stepped on, the ball flew towards Saki Kumagai, who in the 69th minute steered him with her head unbearably past keeper Christiane Endler to make it 1-0. Which of course was the next good story, because the Japanese had played at Olympique until last season and won the premier class five times. The fact that an exceptional player like Hegerberg, for example, could not develop particularly well, was also due to her.
In the first leg there were two inadequately defended standards that led to the Munich women losing 2-1. Scheuer had warned. Now his players had hit back in exactly this way – and even the favored Lyonnais could not use their chances. Neither with the balls at rest – nor with any Kullerball. So there was something else that became apparent that evening: FC Bayern’s ability to learn.