football
Champions League: Bayern women concede late 2-2
The Bayern women led by Georgia Stanway (r) lost a 2-0 lead against AS Roma. photo
© Matthias Balk/dpa
FC Bayern Munich missed a successful start to the group stage of the Champions League. Even a 2-0 lead is not enough against the Italian champions AS Roma.
The FC Bayern footballers lost a 2-0 lead against AS Roma. At 2:2 (2:0) at the start of the group phase In the Champions League, the German champions received a late equalizer from Manuela Giugliano (90+1).
Jovana Damnjanovic (20th minute) and Elena Linari (own goal/45th+4) had previously scored for Munich. The guests made it 1-2 through Evelyne Viens (58th) in front of 2,500 fans at the FC Bayern campus before Giugliano made the final score.
In a largely even game, the Munich team used a standard situation to take the lead. Katharina Naschenweng sent a free kick cross from the half field into the penalty area, where Bayern captain Glodis Viggosdottir extended the ball with her shoulder to the feet of Damnjanovic, who easily slotted in.
The Romans, driven by the ex-Munich women Saki Kumagai and Laura Feiersinger, kept up well, but initially missed their better opportunities. That took revenge. Shortly before the half-time whistle, Naschenweng finished powerfully and the ball, which was deflected twice, flew into the net to make it 2-0. Rome’s central defender Linari appeared in the statistics as an (own) goalscorer.
Rome presses for the equalizer and is rewarded
After the break, Viens’ goal created new tension and Rome pushed for an equalizer. Sydney Lohmann could have calmed the FCB fans’ nerves, but Roma defender Moeka Minami made a sensational clearance off the line (85′). This time the Romans benefited – captain Giugliano shocked Bayern with a follow-up shot.
On November 23rd, the Munich team will travel to Paris Saint-Germain, the third opponent in Group C is Ajax Amsterdam. The top two teams advance to the quarter-finals, which Bayern have always reached in the past five seasons.
Eintracht Frankfurt had already won 2-1 against Swedish record champions FC Rosengard on Tuesday. This year’s premier class finalist VfL Wolfsburg failed before the group games against Paris FC.