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Marta Cazalla’s solitary goal sparked a high-wire act from both Hoffenheim and Bremen to see who could waste more chances in front of goal on Matchday 5.
SINSHEIM, GERMANY – OCTOBER 06: Marta Cazalla Garcia of Hoffenheim (R) celebrates the first goal with her teammmates during the Google Pixel Frauen Bundesliga match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and SV Werder Bremen at Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion on October 06, 2024 in Sinsheim, Germany. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images for DFB)
New Delhi: Everyone loves to prod and poke at a team which on paper looks to be a complete package, yet through increasingly baffling events ends up where it should not. Tonight, however, TSG Hoffenheim managed to shut the leaky faucet of a defence against Werder Bremen, winning 1-0 at home on Round 5 of the 24/25 Women’s Bundesliga season.
A free-kick in the 31st minute provided the difference-maker; Hoffenheim winger Ereleta Mehmeti’s delivery at the far post confounded everyone except centerhalf Marta Cazalla, who volleyed from point-blank range to score her first goal of the season. Bremen were successful in responding in the second half with counter-attacking chances falling at the lap of forwards Amira Arfaoui, Larissa Michelle Mühlhaus and Sophie Weidauer, only for them to slip right before the summit and make Hoffenheim pay for their failure to end the contest early.
Zero matches into the new season, and expectations were raised to a level where one could safely assume Hoffenheim to join the big clubs up top, or at least pull itself closer to said pack. Four matches into the new season, and heads had been buried in hands. Head coach Theodoros Dedes had been quick to direct onlookers and critics towards underlying statistics like shots on target and their quality of passing, along with a wish to play “good football”. But the fact still remains that Hoffenheim have scored six, yet have let in eleven.
This was important for Werder Bremen, who sat atop Hoffenheim prior to their clash in the league table, thus any positive result could pay massive dividends at the end of the campaign. Perhaps that’s the reason why the visitors were more than eager to match Hoffenheim’s wishes to dominate possession, ensuring that statistic hovered in the balance. It wasn’t without bite too—in the 7th minute, Bremen forward Marissa Michelle Mühlhaus received a throughball on the left flank, placing her cutback into the side netting. Some 10 minutes, Bremen sent a weighted pass beyond the Hoffenheim backline, with keeper Laura-Johanna Dick failing to clear the ball and leaving her goal empty.
This is not to say that Hoffenheim were content being passive observers. It took time, but when in a flow-state, the hosts looked unstoppable on the ball. In the 27th minute, they won the ball high in Bremen’s half, with winger Dominika Grabowska spotting Mehmeti’s run into the box, with the latter taking too much time on the ball to make good of the one-on-one chance. Four minutes later, she made amends with a wicked free-kick delivery, with Bremen allowing Marta Cazalla enough space to rifle the ball into the roof of their net.
Da steht der zweite Saisonsieg! Mit einem knappen 1:0 setzt sich die TSG gegen Bremen durch 💪
| 90’+6|🔵 1:0 🟢| #TSGSVW #TSGFrauen #DieLiga | pic.twitter.com/AxkXvsfghT
— TSG Hoffenheim Frauen (@HoffeFrauen) October 6, 2024
Except for some speculative passes over the top for dynamic winger Tuana Mahmoud to chase, the hosts ended the first half in total control. Fullback Jill Janssens’ slick footwork left two Bremen defenders in the dust on the left flank, before her cutback was directed mere inches above the crossbar by striker Melissa Kössler. It should’ve been two in the 44th minute when Mahmoud lost the ball outside her own box, before Hoffenheim fullback Lisann Kaut shot straight at the Bremen keeper for an easy save.
The start to the second half saw the two agendas for the respective sides clash head-on, with the hosts desperate to increase their lead and avoid last-minute heartbreak, while Bremen were on the hunt for the leveller. This was perhaps best encapsulated in Bremen scuffing a clearance in their penalty area a while after the break, with Grabowska hacked down by Bremen keeper Livia Peng as she rushed onto the loose ball.
Let this not distract you from the fact that Hoffenheim resumed dominance in the opening 20 minutes. Forward Selina Cerci effortlessly broke away from Bremen defender Lara Sophie Schmidt in the 54th minute when chasing a lobbed pass, but was too hesitant in front of goal. Grabowska’s free kick in the 57th minute was packed with venom, only for the resultant free header sent looping over the crossbar. Schmidt was almost beat again by Cerci in the 66th minute, but save for a burst of pace and a valiant sliding tackle to douse a potential one-on-one chance.
⏱️ 68. Min
Gerade erst eingewechselt und jetzt schon im Strafraum der gegnerischen Mannschaft unterwegs! #Arfaoui lässt die Abwehrspielerin stehen, spielt auf #Mühlhaus, die den Ball allerdings nicht kontrollieren kann.
⚽️ 1:0 #TSGSVW | #Werderfrauen | #Werder pic.twitter.com/UkVpnHZ0b6
— Werder Bremen Frauenfußball (@werderfrauen) October 6, 2024
Hoffenheim being profligate at home? Maybe that was the switch for Bremen to finally knock at the door, with substitute forward Amira Arfaoui’s dynamism leaving the hosts in knots, especially in the 68th minute, when she cut inside from the right and placed her pass on a platter for Mühlhaus, whose mishit ensured that the Hoffenheim keeper Dick wasn’t tested from within the six-yard box. Forward Sophie Weidauer was bearing down on goal in the 71st minute, but her decision to round Dick made the angle too acute for a dangerous shot.
By the 78th minute, the “profligate” moniker had a shade of green and white. Hoffenheim gave away possession in the middle of the park, with one pass cleaving their structure and sending Arfaoui through on goal. But rather bring Bremen’s momentum to a triumphant crescendo, she decided to drift rightwards, allowing the hosts to retreat and retrieve the ball back. It was a chance that could’ve been the reason behind her tears after fulltime.
The final ten minutes were instead reserved for the hosts, who suddenly looked adept at “game-management” for the first time in the season. Substitute forward Julia Hickelsberger Füller timed her run perfectly to escape beyond Bremen’s backline to send her effort crashing into the side-netting, before Kössler twice tried to catch Peng from the halfway line to insert herself into an early discussion of “goal of the year”. Come the final minute, Bremen managed to fashion one last chance, insisting on building out from the back, before substitute Emoke Papai’s curling effort was denied from the edge of Hoffenheim’s box by Dick.
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