Wolfsburg came from a goal down to overwhelm Manchester United and end the English side’s perfect record in this season’s Women’s Champions League.
In a frenetic first half, Fridolina Rolfo put United ahead in the 14th minute with her third goal in as many games in the competition, scoring against her former club. However, the lead was short-lived. Just three minutes later, Ella Peddemors capitalised on a mix-up between United goalkeeper Safia Middleton-Patel and captain Maya Le Tissier to equalise.
Peddemors then scored an unintentional goal in the 37th minute, her delivery into the box evading everyone before squeezing past Middleton-Patel at the far post. Lineth Beerensteyn added a third for Wolfsburg in the 45th minute. United responded in first-half stoppage time through Melvine Malard, but it was not enough to stop the hosts’ momentum.
The second half saw Wolfsburg assert their dominance. Beerensteyn scored her second of the night in the 65th minute, rifling a strike through the legs of Le Tissier. United’s defensive errors continued, and in added time, Vivien Endemann capitalised on a sloppy back-pass from Jayde Riviere to seal Wolfsburg’s 5-2 victory.
Fridolina Rolfo reflected on the match, saying, “We have to learn from our mistakes because this is not good enough. Defensively we struggled a lot. They could play through us too easily, and we could not find our way back, so we struggled a lot.”
The defeat drops Manchester United to fourth place, the final automatic qualification spot for the quarter-finals. Wolfsburg, two-time winners of the competition, move up to third, although both teams have nine points. Chelsea could leapfrog them if they beat second-placed Barcelona in Thursday’s match..-BBC
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