The final is just one step away for both 1. FFC Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg. The two German teams will go head-to-head on Sunday (kick-off: 19:15 CEST) in the Women’s Champions League semi-final.
The encounter will also see two Germany internationals in Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg) and Mandy Islacker (Frankfurt) come up against eachother. DFB.de spoke to both strikers about their dream of reaching the final and the situation in the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga.
DFB.de: Ms. Islacker, Ms. Popp, will the game on Sunday be one of the most important games of your careers?
Mandy Islacker: These two games against Wolfsburg are obviously very important, without a doubt. We have the chance to make it into the Champions League final, which is something very special. But at the end of the day, all games are important during a season if you want to achieve your goals. Therefore, I find it difficult to categorise games as very important and less important.
Alexandra Popp: If you’ve reached the semi-final, you also want to take the next step into the final. But our focus remains the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga, where we have to defend second place in order to play in an international competition next season.
DFB.de: Which has become very probable following the results on Wednesday?
Popp: I think that our 3-1 victory against Essen was a big win, especially since Frankfurt surprisingly lost at the same time. But we can’t sit back on our four-point cushion, as there are still nine points left to play for. We still have to play against Turbine Potsdam, so we can’t count our chickens yet.
DFB.de: Ms. Islacker, how can you explain the defeat against Freiburg, especially given the fact that just a couple days before you secured a 1-0 win at FC Bayern?
The final is just one step away for both 1. FFC Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg. The two German teams will go head-to-head on Sunday (kick-off: 19:15 CEST) in the Women’s Champions League semi-final.
The encounter will also see two Germany internationals in Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg) and Mandy Islacker (Frankfurt) come up against eachother. DFB.de spoke to both strikers about their dream of reaching the final and the situation in the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga.
DFB.de: Ms. Islacker, Ms. Popp, will the game on Sunday be one of the most important games of your careers?
Mandy Islacker: These two games against Wolfsburg are obviously very important, without a doubt. We have the chance to make it into the Champions League final, which is something very special. But at the end of the day, all games are important during a season if you want to achieve your goals. Therefore, I find it difficult to categorise games as very important and less important.
Alexandra Popp: If you’ve reached the semi-final, you also want to take the next step into the final. But our focus remains the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga, where we have to defend second place in order to play in an international competition next season.
DFB.de: Which has become very probable following the results on Wednesday?
Popp: I think that our 3-1 victory against Essen was a big win, especially since Frankfurt surprisingly lost at the same time. But we can’t sit back on our four-point cushion, as there are still nine points left to play for. We still have to play against Turbine Potsdam, so we can’t count our chickens yet.
DFB.de: Ms. Islacker, how can you explain the defeat against Freiburg, especially given the fact that just a couple days before you secured a 1-0 win at FC Bayern?
Islacker: We are struggling to explain it ourselves, but that’s football sometimes. There are games when nothing goes your way and that’s what happened on Wednesday. Right from the starting whistle we were always one second late, and Freiburg were aggressive right away and took an early lead. Perhaps we hadn’t recovered physically from our tough game in Munich on Sunday, while Freiburg had their game cancelled due to poor weather. But I can certainly exclude the possibility that we underestimated the opponent - in case anyone believes that is the case.
DFB.de: Is this Champions League encounter now a welcome change of scenery for you after what happened on Wednesday?
Islacker: Yes, definitely. It’s a different competition and everyone starts on zero. We showed what we are capable of last Sunday in Munich and we have to reproduce that performance this Sunday. If we do so, we have good chance of securing a positive result and keeping the tie open for the return leg in Frankfurt.
DFB.de: Is Frankfurt perhaps even more dangerous now after a loss, Ms. Popp?
Popp: That may well be the case. Frankfurt will want to show a reaction and that’s why it will be important to have complete focus on the game from the start. We have to put up a fight or otherwise we will struggle.
DFB.de: Ms Islacker, what are your memories of last year’s final, particularly your winning goal in stoppage time?
Islacker: It was certainly one of my career highlights and one I will never forget. I couldn’t believe at first that the ball had gone in. No one will ever take this Champions League victory on our home soil away from us. It will stay with us forever.
