Women

The title race in England’s Women’s Super League is underway—several Swiss players are making their mark in the league

The title race in England’s Women’s Super League is underway—several Swiss players are making their mark in the league

Keystone

Keystone-SDA’s roundup of the latest developments in the Swiss Women’s Super League and highlights regarding national team players in foreign leagues.

Keystone-SDA

Keystone-SDA

Today at 13:16

MATCH OF THE WEEK. Rapperswil-Jona narrowly missed pulling off an upset against league-leading FC Zurich. The St. Gallen women got off to a flying start and were leading 2-0 in front of their home crowd after just over twenty minutes. It wasn’t until shortly before halftime that Janina Egli scored a spectacular long-range goal to pull one back for the favorites. After the break, however, FCZ stepped up their game. Kim Dubs tied the score shortly after the restart, and the Zurich team then dominated the match, securing a well-deserved 4–2 victory with three goals in the second half.

THE FIRST LOSS & THE FIRST POINT. Because the Grasshoppers lost 1-3 to champions Servette Chênois, FC Zurich—which has won all four of its games so far—is the only team in the league still undefeated. Meanwhile, newly promoted Yverdon earned its first point with a 1–1 draw against YB Women.

THE GOAL OF THE MATCH. Basel showed the desired response following their loss in Geneva and secured a 1-0 victory at home against St. Gallen. Alice Berti scored the game-winning goal as early as the 9th minute. The Italian finished decisively after a neat combination play, leaving the St. Gallen defense with no chance. The Basel women then skillfully defended their lead and closed the gap on the top of the standings.

THE NEXT ROUND. The Women’s Super League is set for a midweek round of matches. Round 5 kicks off as early as Wednesday with the top-of-the-table clash between FCZ and YB. Servette Chênois hosts Yverdon, while Basel welcomes the Grasshoppers. The action continues over the weekend with Round 6.

Swiss Women Abroad

SPAIN. In addition to Sydney Schertenleib, who played the entire match in FC Barcelona’s 4-0 victory over Sevilla, another Swiss player stepped into the spotlight in the second round of the Primera División: Viola Calligaris made her debut following her return to Atlético Madrid. The defender made a brief appearance in the closing minutes of the 2-1 home win against Alavés.

ENGLAND. Noëlle Maritz got off to a winning start in the English league with Aston Villa, which finished ninth last season. The Lady Villans managed to hold champions Chelsea to a 1-1 draw, earning their first point against the Londoners in their 13th attempt in the Women’s Super League; Livia Peng was on the bench for Chelsea. The equalizer in the 79th minute wasn’t credited to Maritz only because Chelsea defender Veerle Buurman decisively deflected her follow-up shot. At Brighton & Hove Albion, Lia Wälti made her debut in her new colors against her former club, Arsenal, of all teams. On the other side, Géraldine Reuteler was not yet in the lineup for Arsenal’s 1-0 away win.