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National player Jule Brand (l.) against Leverkusen's Lena Ostermeier

Photo: Hendrik Gräfenkämper / Jan Huebner / IMAGO

Leaders VfL Wolfsburg have stumbled in the women's Bundesliga title race and can therefore be overtaken by rivals Bayern Munich. Wolfsburg's cup winners couldn't get past a 1-1 (1-0) draw against seventh-placed Bayer Leverkusen on matchday 12. Bayer remains unbeaten at home this season.

The reigning champions from Munich are two points behind in the table and will host SC Freiburg on Monday evening (7.30 p.m./TV: MagentaSport and Sport1).

National team captain Alexandra Popp took advantage of one of Wolfsburg's many opportunities in the first half with a header (37th minute). The favorite was also superior afterwards, but failed to decide the game early on.

This took revenge after yellow-red against Wolfsburg's defense chief Marina Hegering (72nd): Leverkusen's Emilie Bragstad scored with her shin to equalize a minute later (73rd). Being outnumbered, Wolfsburg pushed for the winning goal and were unlucky in stoppage time when Joelle Wedemeyer hit the crossbar (90'+3).

League expansion planned

As the second half of the women's Bundesliga begins, people are already thinking about the future. The managing director of the German Football Association (DFB), Holger Blask, told the German Press Agency that the league should be increased in the “medium term”. Currently only twelve teams play in the upper house.

The DFB has been working on a “growth and professionalization plan” for the women’s Bundesliga for months. “Various areas and measures were identified in which urgent investment is needed in order not to be left behind internationally and to further professionalize the structures,” said Blask.

However, there is disagreement about how quickly changes should occur. “We have to get to a 16-team league very quickly and do more to professionalize,” demanded Eintracht Frankfurt board spokesman Axel Hellmann in the “Frankfurter Rundschau”.

"If we let 16 teams play today, the quality wouldn't improve tomorrow," Blask said on Wednesday at the Spobis sports business conference in Hamburg. In addition, if there was an increase, the clubs would initially have a third less money available from TV marketing because the negotiated sums would have to be distributed among more clubs.

mlb/sid/dpa