Wolfsburg steamroll Bayern as first treble trophy looms

Wolfsburg 6-0 Bayern Munich, AOK Stadion
(Huth 8', Wedemeyer 33', Waßmuth 39', Popp 77', Oberdorf 82', Pajor 90+1')

If Bayern Munich are fading at the wrong time of the season, then Wolfsburg are blooming at exactly the right time.

The contest, and likely the title, was decided five minutes before halftime. What followed was a demonstration of power from the team that emphatically declared themselves the best team in Germany.

"I don't think we imagined this sort of result beforehand, but it's our reward for the hard work we put in," Svenja Huth told WDR afterward.

It was Huth who opened the scoring, sending a beautiful, rising effort into the top corner to set the tone for Wolfsburg. Bayern will feel that had Jovana Damnjanovic got more on her header or Almut Schult hadn't made a great save to keep out a header from a teammate then things would have gone differently. In truth though, that seems unlikely.

Perhaps still feeling the efforts of extra-time heartache in Paris in midweek and still dealing with a raft of COVID cases, Bayern just couldn't match Wolfsburg's intensity. The closest they came was in a frantic attempt to keep Wolfsburg out.

Klara Bühl's fantastic block denied Felicitas Rauch at the last possible moment, as red shirts scrambled to stem the neon-green tide. A refereeing decision then denied Wolfsburg a second, and Bayern looked to have battled their way through the storm.

Goal rush

Minutes later, that respite ended when Joelle Wedemeyer nipped in for a header from a Sveindis Jane Jonsdottir long throw. Wolfsburg's Icelandic winger was outstanding once again and somehow finished the game without a goal.

When Bayern sent a goal kick straight to Wolfsburg, it was inevitable that Tabea Waßmuth would curl the ball into the top corner. It was the goal that broke Bayern, and also revealed just how tired and depleted this team is at the moment.

That 18-year-old goalkeeper Cecilia Runarsdottir came on for her Bundesliga debut at the break was an indicator of the current situation at Bayern. Runarsdottir couldn't have done anything about Alex Popp's brilliant diving header, but won't look back fondly at the two corners that led to Wolfsburg's last two goals.

Wolfsburg are now four points clear with three games left, and with Bayern facing the tougher run-in, the league title looks decided. If Wolfsburg do finish top it will draw them level with Frankfurt for a record-equalling seventh title.

This season, Wolfsburg are chasing more than another league title or records though. They're into the final four of the Champions League and in two weeks' time, face Bayern in the German Cup semifinal. Tommy Stroot's side is on the verge of something special and right now, it's hard to find a reason why they can't win the treble.