Here’s Sid Lowe’s report from the match:
Full-time: Glasgow 1-9 Wolfsburg
It turns out that taking on the German champions after not being able to play for over five months is a challenge too far. There’s no doubt Wolfsburg deserve their place in the semi-finals and are a class above Glasgow. But Scott Booth’s side will feel they might have done better if they had been able to prepare properly and, it must be said, if they had been able to cope better with balls into their box, and shots. On the plus side, Wade scored the goal of the game!
GOAL! Glasgow 1-9 Wolfsburg (Clark og 90+4)
Clark tries to cut out a cross by Obersdorf but it takes an outrageous deflection and loops over the keeper into the net. That’s rotten luck.
89 min: Another Wolfsburg cross from the wide. Clark heads it away powerfully. Maybe she should have played since the start.
87 min: Engen is disgusted at herself for not claiming a hat-trick, as she dabs a shot way wide at the near post following a low cross from the right.
86 min: Harder clips a shot against the bar after another dangerous move. Clachers could have done nothing about it.
84 min: Glasgow sub: Clachers on, Alexander off. A change of goalkeeper, then. Sure why not?
83 min: Glasgow sub: Clark on, McLauchlan off.
Updated
81 min: Ross’s freekick from the left is headed out to the edge of the area. Crichton opens fire ... and her shot bounces off the crossbar!
GOAL! Glasgow 1-8 Wolfsburg (Ross og 80)
Oh dear. In trying to head a wickedly spinning cross behind for a corner, the Glasgow captain nodded past her own keeper.
Updated
78 min: Glasgow sub: Foley on, Wojcik off.
78 min: Glasgow sub: Colvill on, Wade off.
77 min: The tempo is slowed considerably. Are Wolfsburg sated? That’s doubtful. They’ll rev it up again in a moment.
74 min: Wolfsburg sub: Blasse on, Doorsoun-Khajeh off
GOAL! Glasgow 1-7 Wolfsburg (Harder 71)
Thats goal No4 for Harder. She won a freekick wide on the right and then took up her position in the middle to get on the end of Huth’s delivery. Glasgow haven’t been able to cope with high ball all day, and Harder is left with a simple header into the net from eight yards.
GOAL! Glasgow 1-6 Wolfsburg (Rauch 66)
The substitute makes her mark, slotting into an open goal after Harder had been denied by an excellent tackle by Wyne.
65 min: Glasgow sub: Howatt on, Love off.
GOAL! Glasgow 1-5 Wolfsburg (Wade 63)
Talk about a bolt from the blue! Alexander sent a long ball downfield. It was flicked on to Wade, who took it and ran down the left and then flighted a wonderful shot over the keeper and into the far corner from an absurd angle! That’s some stylish consolation!
Updated
59 min: Wolfsburg sub: Rauch on, Rolfö off.
58 min: Wolfsburg are relentless. This scoreline is going to get quite a bit heavier. It’s good to see a side totally pummel inferior opponents.
Updated
GOAL! Glasgow 0-5 Wolfsburg (Harder 56)
A chipped cross from the right finds Harder standing alone at the edge of the six-yard area. She powers her header into the net to complete her hat-trick.
55 min: Cleared off the line! Bremer’s header from a corner is hooked away to keep the score at 4-0.
52 min: Another Wolfsburg goal is looking inevitable. They’re streaming through Glasgow from all angles.
49 min: Nice play by Glasgow! Wade and Frede interchange nicely before Freds curls a 20-yard shot just wide with her left foot.
48 min: The corner is pinged over from the left and, yet again, Glasgow’s aerial defence is poor. Bremer nods wide from 10 yards.
47 min: Alexander gets down well to her left to push a long-range shot around the post.
46 min: Wolfsburg sub: Bremer on, Pajor off.
Half-time: Glasgow 0-4 Wolfsburg
You can’t argue with the scoreline. Wolfsburg have been sharper, exposing Glasgow’s lack of preparation, and have also shown the superior class. Weak defending was a contributory factory to the goals but, despite that, Glasgow have not been disgraced. They’ve even threatened sporadically in attack and might have taken the lead early on if not for a faulty offside call. The contest is over but Glasgow could still earn some consolation in the second half. But Wolfsburg will be confident of scoring plenty more.
Updated
GOAL! Glasgow 0-4 Wolfsburg (Harder 45+1)
A freekick on the left is pulled to Harder at the edge of the area and the Dane whacks a fierce shot towards goal. The keeper is well positioned but fails to stop it.
GOAL! Glasgow 0-3 Wolfsburg 3 (Egen 44)
It’s a well worked goal, as Wolfburg pass the ball around progressively before Engen makes a late run from deep to get on the end of a cross from the right. She converts emphatically.
Updated
44 min: Another good block by Van Wyk. Her nous has prevented Wolfsburg from inflicting more damage.
43 min: Engen is running midfield. She is always available and nearly always uses the ball well.
41 min: Popp cops a yellow card for over-reaching as she lunges and catching Crichton on the knee.
39 min: Wade collects a flick-on and tries to send a looping lob over the keeper from 25 yards. It’s a crafty idea but the execution is slightly off.
38 min: Good defending by Van Wyk as Pajor tries to cut into the box again. The South African stands up to her, preventing her from getting off a shot or cross before ushering her out of play.
35 min: Pajor speeds down the right and slides an inviting a low pass across the face of goal. Rolfo runs on to it at the back post but mistimes her intervention and donks it wide.
33 min: A solid save by Alexander, who gets down and holds a bobbling 25-yard drive from Harder.
31 min: Huth shows some tricky skills down the right and tees up Engen who reprieves Glasgow by failing to get the ball under control at the edge of the area.
28 min: Another attack down the wings. Another cross into the box. Wolfsburg win it again but, after a series of headers in the area, Engen nods over the bar.
26 min: An almighty stramash in the Glasgow goalmouth after another high ball into the area causes mayhem. Eventually, Freda does well to head clear under serious pressure.
26 min: Wolfsburg are far sharper, which should come as no surprise given that Glasgow haven’t played since February.
24 min: High ball into the box are causing lots of problems to Glasgow. Harder misdirects a header from one, then sends a follow-up effort over the bar.
21 min: ... mission accomplished! At least insofar as the corner sailed past everyone. But Pajor retrieved it on the right before it went out of play and then scooted into the box and laid a low pass across the face of goal. It runs through several pairs of legs without anyone being able to get a touch!
21 min: Here comes another corner for Wolfsburg. Glasgow will need to defend this one better than the last ...
GOAL! Glasgow 0-2 Wolfsburg (Engen 19)
Wyne does well to block a cross by Huth. Goessling sends in the corner. Engen nods it into the net from four yards after eluding defenders with rather too much ease.
Updated
18 min: No sign of Wolfsburg relenting here. They want to finish this contest off early. Glasgow are having to batten down the hatches.
Glasgow 0-1 Wolfsburg (Harder 15)
The irrepressible Harder plays a nice one-two after cutting in from the right and then drills a low shot into the net from the edge of the box. It was right in the middle of the goal, so Alexander is sure to feel she could have done better.
Updated
13 min: The Wolfsburg keeper has to come flying out to the edge of her area to stop Wade from latching on to a canny through-ball!
Updated
16 min: A well-timed tackle in the box by Van Wjk foils the latest German attack.
13 min: Wolfsburg are starting to make more inroads down the wings but so far their deliveries have not matched their buildup play.
Updated
12 min: The pressure from Wolfsburg is intensifying. They’re pushing Glasgow deeper and deeper.
10 min: An encouraging first 10 minutes overall for Glasgow. Their opponents have had most of the ball but not been able to create any chances, and City have shown they could threaten with quick long passes on the counter.
9 min: Pajor flies down the left and into a dangerous crossing position. But she miscues, sending her centre straight to the keeper.
8 min: After prolonged pressure from the German, Van Wyk gets hold of the ball and booms as long pass forward towards Freda. That’s a smart strategy, and Freda has a clear run on goal! But she’s pulled back for offside, which is preposterous, since she was in her own half when the pass was made.
6 min: Strong defending by McLauchlan. She kept her eye on the ball as Popp threw some shapes and then moved in with a crunching tackle - and the ball came off the Wolfsburg player before going out, so Glasgow even get the throw.
4 min: Danger here! Some nice interplay by Wolfsburg outside the Glasgow area but Alexander watches the cross from the right go wide at the back post.
2 min: Ross tries to launch a freekick into the box from wide on the left but it’s a poor delivery. Easily cleared before it reaches the area.
1 min: And they’re off! Wolfsburg do the honours.
The players are on the pitch. Wolfsburg are in their pea-green kits, Glasgow in a deeper shade of orange.
“A quick scan of Glasgow City’s history in Europe shows that the last time they faced a German opponent in this tournament, they suffered a 0-17 aggregate defeat (to the whirringly ominous-sounding Turbine Potsdam, in 2012),” notes Peter Oh. “Today’s opponent, sponsored by Volkswagen, also sounds like a well-oiled machine. Do the Scots have it in them to throw a spanner in the works?” Well, the bookies make them 90/1 shots so it’ll be one of the great upsets if it happens but hey, sport isn’t maths.
Teams:
Glasgow: Alexander; McLauchlan, Van Wyk, Ross, Wyne; Love, Kerr, Crichton; Wojcik, Freda, Wade
Subs: Clachers, Howat, Clark, Colvill, Foley
Wolfsburg: Abt; Doorsoun-Khajeh, Hendrich, Goessling, Wedemeyer; Engen, Popp; Huth, Harder, Rolfö; Pajor
Subs: Kassen, KIedrynek, Jakabfi, Janssen, Bremmer, Blässe
Referee: C Stendahl (Swe)
Preamble
Part-time? Pah! Glasgow City are big time, and what better way for the Scottish champions to prove it than by beating Wolfsburg to reach the last four of the Champions League? Dreaming is free! But there can be no denying the size of the task ahead. Wolfsburg have won this tournament twice before and have just wrapped up the double in Germany while Glasgow’s domestic season was curtailed by the pandemic, leaving the players with less than an ideal preparation for this mammoth endeavour. Still, elite sport is about surmounting challenges and they don’t come much tougher than trying to stop Permille Harder from scoring. This, then, is a tie to relish for everyone. Yes, even you!
