Early setback
The game could hardly have got off to a worse start for Eintracht, who conceded a penalty in the fourth minute when Jovana Damnjanovic's cross hit Sara Doorsoun's hand, allowing Georgia Stanway to convert from the spot and put Bayern 1-0 up.
Reuteler hits wondergoal
Niko Arnautis’ side refused to let that throw them off course, however, and they stuck to their game plan and were the better side for much of the match.
Geraldine Reuteler brought the Eagles level in the 18th minute with an unstoppable long-range effort into the right-hand corner, leaving the game all square at the interval.
Goalless second half
Eintracht Women continued to dominate after the break and had a glorious chance to take the lead in the 61st minute, only for Maria Luisa Grohs to produce a stunning save to deny Lara Prasnikar. At the other end of the pitch Stina Johannes thwarted Glodis Perla Viggosdottir with an equally brilliant stop. The teams cancelled each other out after that, and with no more goals the match went to extra time.
Shootout decider
Bayern had the upper hand in extra time, but Eintracht were solid at the back and kept their hosts at arm’s length. Johannes was forced to make a save from Sydney Lohmann’s dangerous long-range effort in the 105th minute, and so the match ended 1-1 after 120 minutes.
Bayern held their nerve better in the penalty shootout, with Freigang, Reuteler and Prasinkar all missing their efforts for Eintracht. Lohmann, Eriksson and Harder all hit the target for Bayern, which spelled the end of line for Eintracht’s cup adventure.
Reactions
Head coach Niko Arnautis: “It was an intensive, hard-fought game that would have been worthy of the final. It’s very disappointing for us. Ultimately, the quality of the penalty takers proved decisive in the shootout, unfortunately. There are still a few positives we can take from this game. We matched Bayern in terms of our intensity and willingness to fight, which is encouraging, even if for now we’re all upset.”
Barbara Dunst: “We’re massively disappointed. We fought really hard throughout the entire match and we would have deserved to go through. We played really well in possession at times, but we should have created more clear-cut chances. We lacked a bit of incision. We knew we would have to be on top of our game because Bayern are always dangerous. It’s just a big shame, but we can be proud of ourselves and need to keep going.”
