Women, Wolfsburg win 2-0 in the first-leg | OneFootball

Wolfsburg take the advantage in the first leg of the third qualifying round for a place in the UEFA Women's Champions League: a strong first-half performance from Inter was not enough as the Nerazzurre suffered a 2-0 defeat, with goals from Prašnikar and Küver deciding the match. It was an evenly balanced game, approached with confidence by Inter, who used their organisation and quality in possession to put a highly rated opponent under pressure. The match, however, was decided in just a few minutes between the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, with the Germans' clinical finishing proving decisive. Two goals and the sending-off of Robustellini just minutes into the second half swung the game in Lerch's side's favour, but Inter showed plenty of resilience and will have the chance to turn things around in the second leg, which will be played at the Stadio Breda in Sesto San Giovanni on Wednesday 2 September at 18:30 CEST. THE MATCH

A grey sky and more than 2,000 fans in the stands set the scene for the first leg of the double-header between Wolfsburg and Inter, with Sassarini's side moving the ball confidently and closing down the spaces whenever the Germans attempted to build from the back.The first danger came from the wings, with Zicai threatening in the 9th minute. Cutting in from the left, she moved inside and fired towards the near post, but Rúnarsdóttir was alert to make the save. Inter continued to play with courage, building from the back and looking for their forwards. Their first real opportunity came through Vilhjálmsdóttir, who fired from distance in the 17th minute and narrowly missed the crossbar. Halfway through the first half came the biggest chance of the game up to that point, following some fantastic hold-up play from Polli. The Inter number nine protected the ball before threading a superb pass through to Raphino, who raced in behind and found herself one-on-one with Johannes, but her effort went just wide of the post. Inter continued to control possession confidently and created another opening through Le Bihan, but were punished by Prašnikar in the 42nd minute. The move began down the right, with Huth driving forward before delivering a cross. The Wolfsburg forward broke away from her marker and fired a right-footed effort into the near corner, catching Rúnarsdóttir off guard. It was a major blow for the Nerazzurre, who saw the game become even more difficult at the start of the second half, with two key moments coming within three minutes. In the 49th minute, Sassarini's side were reduced to ten players following Robustellini's dismissal, before Küver struck in the 52nd minute, getting ahead of everyone at the near post to turn Peddemors' corner into the net and give Wolfsburg a 2-0 lead. The game then began to follow the pattern dictated by the hosts, who controlled possession and searched unsuccessfully for a third goal. Sassarini's players remained in the contest with plenty of pride, limiting Wolfsburg's attacking threat, but were unable to create the openings needed to get back into the match.

WOLFSBURG 2-0 INTER WOMEN | SCORESHEET

Goals: 42' Prašnikar (W), 52' Küver (W)

Wolfsburg (4-3-3): 1 Johannes; 2 Bjelde, 3 Carleer (4 Kleinherne 76'), 16 Küver, 39 Linder (23 Bogaert 84'); 14 Vallotto (15 Arasniewicz 76'), 6 Minge, 5 Peddemors; 10 Huth, 9 Prašnikar ( 38 Kerim-Lindland 63'), 28 Zicai (18 Alber 76'). Substitutes: 21 Tufekovic, 22 Schönwetter, 17 Piljic, 19 Bussy, 20 Landenberger, 24 Wedemeyer. Head Coach: Stephan Lerch

Inter (4-4-2): 1 Rúnarsdóttir, 22 Schough, 4 Van Diemen (24 Milinković 87'), 5 Andrés, 14 Robustellini; 18 Glionna (17 Payne 73'), 16 Tomašević, 8 Vilhjálmsdóttir, 11 Le Bihan (20 Detruyer 73'); 26 Raphino (33 Bartoli 51'), 9 Polli (7 Bugeja 87'). Substitutes: 12 Forcinella, 35 Robboni, 6 Santi, 19 Paz, 29 Giudici, 44 Consolini. Head Coach: David Sassarini

Stoppage Time: 2', 4'

Booked: 49' Polli (I), 59' Bartoli (I) Sent-off: 48' Robustellini (I)

Referee: Demetrescu Assistants: Baranowska - Pozdejeva Fourth Official: Terteleac