The FC Bayern Munich Frauen kicked off their 2023/24 campaign in the second round of the DFB-Pokal with a 2-0 win over Andernach.
New signing Pernille Harder got the scoring going with a powerful header down from a corner in the 18th minute. The former Chelsea FC star marked her return to Germany — having formerly played for Wolfsburg — with a goal.
Bayern knocked on the door a few times before and after but found further breakthrough hard to come by. A combination of smart saves and narrow misses saw the scoreline hang at 1-0 until late in the second half — when striker Jovana Damnjanović scored from close range after a cross from Tuva Hansen.
Another goal shortly after was ruled offside, and Bayern held on to a clean sheet to advance to the next round.
“For Andernach it was probably the biggest game of the year,” Harder said of the game (via FCBayern.com). “They gave everything and did really well. That made it tough for us, but it was important that we won. The focus is now on Freiburg on Friday, we need to keep working until then.”
The Bundesliga campaign begins on Friday at SC Freiburg.
