Second division BV Cloppenburg caused a big upset in the round of 16 of the Women’s DFB Cup this weekend, as they beat MSV Duisberg 1-0 to progress to the quarterfinals. Lysanne Van Der Wal got the decisive goal for her side after just over an hour played.
It was a special day for Cloppenburg’s coach Tanja Schulte, the 41 year old grew up in the Ruhr area and therefore knows MSV Duisberg well. In this interview with DFB.de, Schulte speaks about her team’s qualification to the next round and their situation in the current 2. Bundesliga.
DFB.de: Ms. Schulte, what are your thoughts on this surprising victory?
Tanja Schulte: We’re happy, above all because the win was absolutely deserved. We were the better side and could and should have decided the game sooner – that’s the only criticism you can make of us. Other than that it was a convincing performance.
DFB.de: What was the key to victory?
Schulte: In the league we’re almost always the team which takes the game to the opposition, but against Duisberg the roles were reversed. I knew that could be an advantage for us; we could sit back to an extent. We pressed early in midfield and then played the ball forward quickly – that was exactly our plan before the game and it turned out perfectly.
DFB.de: You’re now the last-remaining 2. Bundesliga side in the competition.
Schulte: There’s still a tie to be played, Werder Bremen could follow suit with a win. However, we can still be proud to be in the quarters.
DFB.de: Who are you hoping to face in the next round?
Schulte: We haven’t thought about it at all. We weren't thinking about the quarterfinal - we didn’t plan on actually making it. Duisberg played in our division last season and won all 22 games, I think that says a lot. I’m not sure if we get automatically get home advantage if we play against a team from the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga.
DFB.de: The win against Duisburg must have given the team a lot of momentum.
Schulte: Yes, I hope so. However, sometimes it doesn’t have that effect. I’ve often experienced the situation where momentum is lost after such a high point - we can’t let this happen. We have to keep working right up until the match against Bramfelder SV next Sunday.
DFB.de: You are currently in third. Do you think promotion is possible?
Schulte: Of course. Wolfsburg’s second team are currently top of the league, but they can’t be promoted. Bremen are in second with more points than us.
DFB.de: Will it be a battle between Cloppenburg and Bremen for promotion?
Schulte: It looks like it at the moment. Werder still have to play Wolfsburg before Christmas. Things will get close at the top if they don’t win there and we manage not to slip up.
DFB.de: You have won seven out of nine games so far. Both losses were against the top sides Wolfsburg and Bremen, 4-1 and 5-1 respectively. What happened there? Were your opponents really that much better?
Schulte: No, not at all. We were at fault in both games and let in too many goals. Now we have to focus on scoring a better result against these teams in the second half of the season. We have to prove how well we can really play against these sides.
DFB.de: Things are going well for your team at the moment.
Schulte: Yes, we have started well and have been very consistent. We have made a good start that we can build on throughout the season. We want to take another step forward in the Women’s Bundesliga. We can manage that if we keep performing like we have been recently.
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Second division BV Cloppenburg caused a big upset in the round of 16 of the Women’s DFB Cup this weekend, as they beat MSV Duisberg 1-0 to progress to the quarterfinals. Lysanne Van Der Wal got the decisive goal for her side after just over an hour played.
It was a special day for Cloppenburg’s coach Tanja Schulte, the 41 year old grew up in the Ruhr area and therefore knows MSV Duisberg well. In this interview with DFB.de, Schulte speaks about her team’s qualification to the next round and their situation in the current 2. Bundesliga.
DFB.de: Ms. Schulte, what are your thoughts on this surprising victory?
Tanja Schulte: We’re happy, above all because the win was absolutely deserved. We were the better side and could and should have decided the game sooner – that’s the only criticism you can make of us. Other than that it was a convincing performance.
DFB.de: What was the key to victory?
Schulte: In the league we’re almost always the team which takes the game to the opposition, but against Duisberg the roles were reversed. I knew that could be an advantage for us; we could sit back to an extent. We pressed early in midfield and then played the ball forward quickly – that was exactly our plan before the game and it turned out perfectly.
DFB.de: You’re now the last-remaining 2. Bundesliga side in the competition.
Schulte: There’s still a tie to be played, Werder Bremen could follow suit with a win. However, we can still be proud to be in the quarters.
DFB.de: Who are you hoping to face in the next round?
Schulte: We haven’t thought about it at all. We weren't thinking about the quarterfinal - we didn’t plan on actually making it. Duisberg played in our division last season and won all 22 games, I think that says a lot. I’m not sure if we get automatically get home advantage if we play against a team from the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga.
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DFB.de: The win against Duisburg must have given the team a lot of momentum.
Schulte: Yes, I hope so. However, sometimes it doesn’t have that effect. I’ve often experienced the situation where momentum is lost after such a high point - we can’t let this happen. We have to keep working right up until the match against Bramfelder SV next Sunday.
DFB.de: You are currently in third. Do you think promotion is possible?
Schulte: Of course. Wolfsburg’s second team are currently top of the league, but they can’t be promoted. Bremen are in second with more points than us.
DFB.de: Will it be a battle between Cloppenburg and Bremen for promotion?
Schulte: It looks like it at the moment. Werder still have to play Wolfsburg before Christmas. Things will get close at the top if they don’t win there and we manage not to slip up.
DFB.de: You have won seven out of nine games so far. Both losses were against the top sides Wolfsburg and Bremen, 4-1 and 5-1 respectively. What happened there? Were your opponents really that much better?
Schulte: No, not at all. We were at fault in both games and let in too many goals. Now we have to focus on scoring a better result against these teams in the second half of the season. We have to prove how well we can really play against these sides.
DFB.de: Things are going well for your team at the moment.
Schulte: Yes, we have started well and have been very consistent. We have made a good start that we can build on throughout the season. We want to take another step forward in the Women’s Bundesliga. We can manage that if we keep performing like we have been recently.
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