With a point Saturday afternoon in its match against FCR Duisburg, 1. FFC Frankfurt would’ve moved into first place, but a goal scored just past the 70-minute mark by Inka Grings, her 350th Bundesliga goal, gave Duisburg the win. This make-up game between the second and third-place teams in Bundesliga was scoreless at the half. With the three points, Duisburg now has 38 points, one point behind Frankfurt and two points off the pace of first-place Potsdam. In other Bundesliga news, there were two player signings and one player who has left the league.
Today’s match between Frankfurt and Duisburg was the first competitive game for both teams after the break, which was clearly evident on the pitch. The game was on a low level with a high turnover rate. Good scoring opportunities were seldom. Frankfurt was a bit superior in the first half, but could not convert its chances. After the break, Duisburg took more control, missed a good opportunity by Femke Maes, but after 70 minutes, it was once again Inka Grings who decided the game. Sonja Fuss reacted quick on a free kick and served for Grings who realized the situation quicker than Frankfurt’s back line. Frankfurt woke up after Duisburg’s lead but didn’t create really good scoring chances anymore.
Bundesliga top after 16/22 matches:
1 Potsdam, 40 pts, +29 goals
2 Frankfurt, 39 pts, +55 goals
3 Duisburg, 38 pts, +31 goals
Player movements: Frankfurt extended with Sandra Smisek and Meike Weber for another season … Germany U19 National Team midfielder Claudia Götte, who was recently suspended by SC Bad Neuenahr, found a new home at Bayer Leverkusen … Swiss international Danique Stein has left SC Bad Neuenahr, returning home to FC Basel.