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🇩🇪 Germany /Sports

Women’s football: “We’re lost for words” as Wolfsburg miss out on Champions League

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Outcome reported
  • VfL Wolfsburg lost to Inter Milan on penalties after a 3-1 extra-time defeat in the qualifying second leg.
  • Eintracht Frankfurt also fell short, losing 5-1 after extra time to Paris Saint-Germain.
  • The results leave only German champions Bayern Munich in the Champions League league phase, a setback for German women’s football.

VfL Wolfsburg’s players stood just one successful penalty away from the Champions League, but a dramatic shootout sent the two-time winners out against Inter Milan.

We’re all feeling brutally disappointed today. You can’t look forward right now, and you can’t

· Stephan LerchThe Wolfsburg coach described the team’s reaction after elimination by Inter Milan.

The German runners-up lost the qualifying second leg 4-5 on penalties after the match ended 3-1 to Inter following extra time. The score had been 1-1 after 90 minutes and 0-1 at halftime. New signing Mara Alber missed Wolfsburg’s penalty against Inter goalkeeper Cecilia Ran Runarsdottir and later wept on the field.

“We’re all feeling brutally disappointed today. You can’t look forward right now, and you can’t,” Wolfsburg coach Stephan Lerch said. “It feels very empty at first. It’s obviously very disappointing. The way it happened, with the equalizer shortly before the end, hurts terribly. We have to get through it together.”

It feels very empty at first. It’s obviously very disappointing. The way it happened, with the equalizer shortly before the end, hurts terribly. We have to get through it together

· Stephan LerchLerch discussed Wolfsburg’s late setback and penalty-shootout defeat.

Wolfsburg won the competition in 2013 and 2014 and reached the final in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2023. Inter celebrated with German captain and former international Lina Magull, who previously played for Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich. Magull missed the first leg through injury, came on after an hour in the return match, assisted Inter’s important second goal and scored the Italians’ first penalty.

Our team gave everything today. The story is very, very hard

· Niko ArnautisThe Eintracht Frankfurt coach assessed the loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Eintracht Frankfurt, third in last season’s Bundesliga, also failed to advance after losing 1-5 to Paris Saint-Germain after extra time. “Our team gave everything today. The story is very, very hard,” coach Niko Arnautis said, calling Paris fortunate winners. “Chapeau to the girls. They deserved more.” Frankfurt had reached the Champions League only once before, in the 2023-24 season, when it went out in the group stage. Only German champions Bayern Munich will now represent the country in the league phase.

Chapeau to the girls. They deserved more

· Niko ArnautisArnautis praised his players after Frankfurt’s elimination.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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