Frankfurt reap rewards despite Bayern defeat

Eintracht Frankfurt's women had rightly assumed they would need to have one of their best days to beat Bayern Munich. In the end they had a "very, very good" day but, just like Hoffenheim last weekend, still suffered a 4-2 loss.

Having been complacent in the opening 10 minutes, they forced the Women's Bundesliga titleholders into a more grueling fight than they wanted. An aggressive, courageous and effective first half had Frankfurt 2-1 up at the interval before Bayern turned things around with Viviane Asseyi delivering the decisive blow in the 79th minute to make it 3-2.

"We produced a very, very good performance. It's hard to accept that we couldn't reward ourselves," Frankfurt midfielder Laura Feiersinger told DW.

Nevertheless, the Austrian found positives to take from the encounter.

"You really noticed that the gap isn't that big anymore. The problem is more down to the respect we have for these names, we have to get rid of that," she said.

The team has matured considerably, according to Feiersinger, who also believes Frankfurt's young players will have their development boosted by playing for the national team. "That will only really bear fruit next season," she said.

For a long time, the fallen serial champions 1. FFC Frankfurt dreamed of a return to the international stage with Eintracht’s financial backing. With results starting to show, that dream is now starting to become a reality. And of the three contenders for the third Champions League place, Frankfurt appear to be the most stable.

"Hoffenheim are very similar to us," said Feiersinger. "We both want to play, we have a clear structure and a desire to execute a game plan. Potsdam, on the other hand, are very physical, straightforward, a bit more bullish, with a lot of fast players up front."

All three are separated by just five points.

Potsdam up to third as Hoffenheim fall behind

After their win against relegation-threatened SC Sand on Sunday, Turbine Potsdam currently hold the coveted third place. The traditional club have bounced back from a poor start to the season to work their way up the standings during a remarkable final spurt. 

TSG Hoffenheim, meanwhile, lost further ground as the 3-0 defeat to Wolfsburg once again underlined how far they still have to go to compete among the elite.

Up against the title challengers, TSG were far too tame, too clueless and too open at the back. Jule Brand, who is set to sign for Wolfsburg in the summer, provided the assist for future teammate Lena Lattwein to score a long-range stunner that made it 2-0.

Now that Hoffenheim have suffered the expected defeats against the top duo Wolfsburg and Bayern, they can focus on getting back to putting points on the board.

PSG remain in the shadow of scandal

On Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain are set to take on Bayern Munich in front of roughly 10,000 fans inside the Allianz Arena for a much-hyped match that has seen German women's football awaken from its marketing slumber.

PSG have reeled off win after win, seemingly without blemish, but still find themselves three points behind league leaders Olympique Lyon. Unsurprisingly, that is not to the liking of the Qatar-backed club, who are out to change the guard in French football after ending 14 years of dominance by pioneers Lyon with their first title win last season.

It's not hard to trace the source of the three-point deficit following PSG's 6-1 loss to Lyon back in the autumn. The capital city side had wanted to cancel the encounter in the aftermath of the violent attack on midfielder Kheira Hamraoui, citing the psychological impact on their players, but were denied their request by the federation.

It is that cloud of "should have, would have, could have" that still lingers over PSG with the investigation still ongoing. In November, Hamraoui was attacked by unknown persons with iron bars while on her way back from a club event. She has now returned to the pitch three months since suffering injuries to her legs.

Initially, teammate Aminata Diallo, who was driving the car and plays the same position as Hamraoui, came under suspicion. Diallo has also said she is "traumatized" after what happened. 

Then an affair between Hamraoui and Barcelona's ex-sports director, Eric Abidal, came to light. As a result, wife Hayet Abidal, who has since filed for divorce, became a suspect. It has all the makings of a broadsheet scandal or a Netflix series, but for the PSG it remains a constant source of unrest. 

This article was translated from German