The footballers of VfL Wolfsburg danced on the pitch well after the final whistle: the dramatic entry into the final of the Champions League put Alexandra Popp and Co. in a party mood. “We’re among the top two teams in Europe. Now we can celebrate,” said coach Tommy Stroot after the 3-2 win after extra time in the second leg of the semifinals at WFC Arsenal.
In the final against FC Barcelona, VfL wants to celebrate their third coup in the premier class after 2013 and 2014. “It’s a 90-minute game. Anything can happen,” said goalscorer Jill Roord.
However, the Bundesliga team is only an outsider on June 3 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The Catalans played their way into the final too dominantly. Nevertheless, Roord sees opportunities to win the cup. “It’s going to be a real challenge. We have to be brave and have nothing to lose,” said the midfielder.
VfL doesn’t need to hide in any way, agrees Coach Stroot. The match on Monday in front of 60,063 fans in London should have a signal effect for the next few weeks. “We took a lot from this game. We were 1-0 down, came back and in front of this crowd we were convinced we could win this game right to the end,” enthused the VfL coach about his team. “It’s not natural to push it through like that.”
The club owes their sixth place in the final of Europe’s most important club competition to captain Popp, as well as winning goal scorer Pauline Bremer, who scored the much-celebrated 3:2 in the 119th minute. After a three-week injury break, the 32-year-old took on more responsibility. “It’s extremely important,” Stroot said. “She has the gift of reading a game at a mentality level. She’s there, an important factor and stabilizer.”
