1. FFC Frankfurt won the women’s Champions League after beating Paris St. Germain 2-1 thanks to an injury time winner from Mandy Islacker. The match winner spoke to DFB.de as she summed up her feelings.
Islacker was brought on in the 66th minute, which turned out to be a stroke of genius from manager Colin Bell. Shortly before the final whistle, the striker dinked the ball into the back of the net with the outside of her boot to win the game. “I’ve never won a title before and now we’ve won the Champions League. There’s nothing better than that,” said Islacker after the game.
DFB.de: Mrs Islacker, is it a dream come true to score the winning goal in the final?
Mandy Islacker: I can’t quite believe what has happened yet. I wasn’t even on the pitch for half an hour and I ended up scoring the winner in injury time in the most important game of the season and of my life against Paris St. Germain. It’s definitely the biggest day of my career to date. I’ve never won a title before – and now we have won the Champions League. There’s nothing better than that. It’s unbelievable and incredible!
DFB.de: What was going through your head when the ball fell at your feet in the first minute of injury time?
Islacker: Nothing really. Everything happened so quickly. I was only thinking that I wanted to somehow find the back of the net. I didn’t really look up and just hit it. It was absolutely incredible to see it drop in perfectly. It’s like a dream and it will definitely take some time to settle in. I haven’t been able to enjoy it yet because everything has happened so quickly.
DFB.de: Was it clear that you had scored the winner?
Islacker: There wasn’t long left to play. But I hadn’t really thought about it. At that point, we only had one aim and that was not to concede. Paris had a good chance. They threw everything at us and were a dangerous opposition. It was a relief when the referee brought the game to an end. It was an amazing moment. I’m just happy that we could finish the season with a title. I think that we all deserved it.
1. FFC Frankfurt won the women’s Champions League after beating Paris St. Germain 2-1 thanks to an injury time winner from Mandy Islacker. The match winner spoke to DFB.de as she summed up her feelings.
Islacker was brought on in the 66th minute, which turned out to be a stroke of genius from manager Colin Bell. Shortly before the final whistle, the striker dinked the ball into the back of the net with the outside of her boot to win the game. “I’ve never won a title before and now we’ve won the Champions League. There’s nothing better than that,” said Islacker after the game.
DFB.de: Mrs Islacker, is it a dream come true to score the winning goal in the final?
Mandy Islacker: I can’t quite believe what has happened yet. I wasn’t even on the pitch for half an hour and I ended up scoring the winner in injury time in the most important game of the season and of my life against Paris St. Germain. It’s definitely the biggest day of my career to date. I’ve never won a title before – and now we have won the Champions League. There’s nothing better than that. It’s unbelievable and incredible!
DFB.de: What was going through your head when the ball fell at your feet in the first minute of injury time?
Islacker: Nothing really. Everything happened so quickly. I was only thinking that I wanted to somehow find the back of the net. I didn’t really look up and just hit it. It was absolutely incredible to see it drop in perfectly. It’s like a dream and it will definitely take some time to settle in. I haven’t been able to enjoy it yet because everything has happened so quickly.
DFB.de: Was it clear that you had scored the winner?
Islacker: There wasn’t long left to play. But I hadn’t really thought about it. At that point, we only had one aim and that was not to concede. Paris had a good chance. They threw everything at us and were a dangerous opposition. It was a relief when the referee brought the game to an end. It was an amazing moment. I’m just happy that we could finish the season with a title. I think that we all deserved it.
DFB.de: Honestly, were you already thinking about extra time as chances were few and far between in the closing stages?
Islacker: No I always had the feeling that something could happen. We were playing well and Paris sat back a bit in the closing stages. I can’t believe that the game was set up for me to score the winner.
DFB.de: Had you maybe sensed beforehand that it could be a special day?
Islacker: Definitely not. I prepared for the game in the same way as I do for every game. I felt good but not really anymore than usual. When I came on after 66 minutes I wanted to help the team to somehow win the title and therefore qualify for the Champions League next season.
DFB.de: What happened after the game?
Islacker: I had goosebumps at the trophy ceremony. You feel like you are in a film. Then we celebrated in the changing room before we went to have some food. And then party, party, party. We definitely didn’t get a lot of sleep.
DFB.de: And what happens now?
Islacker: We have a ceremony in Frankfurt at 18:00 CEST today. That will be the next highlight. I can only reiterate that things haven’t properly settled in yet. It’s incredible for me and feels like a dream.
