Tuesday 08 November 2016, 02:00

No change at the top

In Germany’s Bundesliga, Turbine Potsdam allowed themselves a brief dip in form lasting exactly one match. Elsewhere, the league leaders in Spain and France continue to notch up wins, while a familiar picture is also emerging in Denmark.

Germany: Frontrunners return to winning ways Freiburg were forced to cede third place in the Women’s Bundesliga to the defending champions this week after Jana Feldkamp’s goal proved the difference in their 1-0 defeat by Essen, while Bayern Munich beat Hoffenheim by the same scoreline. Dutch star Vivianne Miedema’s strike secured the fifth victory of the season for the Bavarians, who have two nominees – Sara Dabritz and Melanie Behringer – for The Best FIFA Women’s Player 2016 and another, Thomas Worle, for The Best FIFA Women’s Coach 2016.

While league leaders Turbine Potsdam successfully defended their top spot by beating USV Jena 1-0, Wolfsburg remain hot on the heels of the Torbienen after winning 2-1 at Borussia Monchengladbach – although it was a far from straightforward afternoon for coach Ralf Kellermann’s team. Zsanett Jakabfi gave the She-Wolves the lead before Madeline Gier equalised for the hosts, with Babett Peter eventually wrapping up the three points for Wolfsburg ten minutes from time to keep Borussia firmly rooted to the bottom of the table on zero points.

Top three: Turbine Potsdam (21), Wolfsburg (17), Bayern Munich (16)

France: Where Lyon lead, PSG follow It is impossible to talk about the women’s league in France without mentioning Olympique Lyon. Having won the championship every year for the past decade, Les Lyonnaises have once again surged to the top of the standings under coach Gerard Precheur, also a nominee for The Best FIFA Women’s Coach 2016, since the latest campaign began in September. Lyon delivered another flawless performance against Rodez Aveyron on Saturday to return home with a 5-0 win under their belts. Two more The Best FIFA Women’s Player 2016 candidates got their names on the scoresheet as Dzsenifer Marozsan netted a brace and Camille Abily found the target, while Ada Hegerberg and Wendie Renard provided the game’s other goals. Having started the season with similarly lofty ambitions, Paris Saint-Germain are still keeping pace and continue to breathe down Lyon’s necks. A day after OL’s latest victory, the Parisians followed suit with a 2-0 win over ASJ Soyaux-Charente. Elsewhere, the match between Montpellier and ASPTT Albi was postponed.

Top three: Olympique Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain (both 21), Montpellier (15)

Denmark: Nothing to separate Brondby and Fortuna Hjorring As the only two teams to have lifted the Elitedivisionen trophy since 2002, Brondby and Fortuna Hjorring are once again locked in a head-to-head battle in the regular season of Denmark’s top flight. The pair lead the overall standings with 34 points apiece, with Brondby boasting a better goal difference than their rivals (44 scored and 4 conceded compared to 48 and 9 respectively). In the 12th round of matches, Fortuna Hjorring posted a resounding 5-1 win over Varde while Brondby beat KoldingQ 3-0. The top six of the league’s eight sides ultimately go forward to a ‘Champions Round’, while the bottom two clubs – currently Varde and Vejle with one and nine points respectively – will be relegated.

Top three: Brondby, Fortuna Hjorring (both 34), KoldingQ (21)

Spain: Top four still unbeaten With nine games played, the Primera Division Femenina de Futbol’s leading quartet have yet to taste defeat in the current campaign, with top-of-the-table Barcelona the only team yet to drop a single point. Coach Xavi Llorens’ side ran out 3-0 winners against Tacuense to retain their championship lead, while closest rivals Atletico Madrid recorded a similarly comfortable 4-0 victory against Oiartzun. Levante defeated Athletic Club 3-1 to claim maximum points for the seventh time this season, while Valencia were the only one of the unbeaten teams forced to settle for a draw as they played out a goalless stalemate away to Santa Teresa.

Top three: Barcelona (27), Atletico Madrid (25), Levante (23)