They had been playing for an hour and the rain had finally stopped hammering on the roof of this vast, empty arena, the sun starting to come out at last, when Lauren Wade bent a beautiful curling shot over Friederike Abt and into the net. There was a shout from somewhere in the stand and, Seven Nation Army playing for her this time, Wade clenched her fist and broke into a broad smile. Teammates in orange ran over and embraced her, some sense of vindication perhaps, however short-lived.
No, Glasgow City didn’t lead and, no, they weren’t going through, but no one had expected them to do either of those things – and at least they had left some mark. Ultimately, though, Wolfsburg left a far greater mark on them and may leave a lasting mark on this competition. So impressive here, they took their opponents apart piece by piece from start to finish and must be considered contenders, a side with so much quality and confidence, quick and clever players in every position. Svenja Huth and Pernille Harder, in particular.
Glasgow had already let in five by the time they scored and they would let in a further four, the gulf between these two clubs gigantic. But then they knew that, underlined as it was even underlined by the subs’ bench. Never mind the names, look at the numbers: 11 for Wolfsburg, five for Glasgow. And, as if that abyss wasn’t wide enough, the tournaments only part-time team hadn’t played since November while the Germans had won their restarted league and cup, 66-1 on favourites to win this match. It had been hard enough for Glasgow to get a team here at all.
Glasgow’s founder had said that it makes her “giggle” to see the teams they were up against. Here was a moment to smile, at least, something to take home from an evening that was largely chastening, reality allowing little room for romance. Mostly, they wore more pained expressions, especially when the final cruel blow was delivered.
With seven minutes left, Glasgow took off the goalkeeper Lee Alexander. She had saved three penalties to bring them here. Now, though, she had let in eight. Erin Clachers replaced her and immediately saw Harder smash a shot against her bar. Then she too let one in, helplessly watching an own goal loop over her head off Leanne Ross in the last minute.
That was one of two own goals Glasgow’s desperately unlucky captain scored. There were also four goals from the superb Harder, two from Ingrid Engen and one from Felicitas Rauch. The doubt had always been not so much if Wolfsburg would score as when, and how often. Some had genuinely predicted double figures, which was avoided at least. Small mercies. The answer to the first question was 15 minutes; the answer to the second was eight.
Harder got the first of them, which was not much a surprise either, a shot from the edge of the area giving her a 35th goal this season. She wasn’t about to stop there, either. Engen headed in a corner well inside the six-yard box to make it two soon after., Wolfsburg turning the screw and allowing no way out. The ball was theirs alone, used smartly, comfort in everything they did. A gorgeous nutmeg from Ewa Pajor somehow didn’t get the finish it deserved but it was relentless, so much of it building on the right
It wasn’t until the 37th minute that Glasgow produced their first shot and by then their opponents had taken 13 and they added a third goal on 44 minutes, another slick move concluding with Huth’s beautiful ball bent in for Engen to finish. There was still time for another before the break, the look on Rachel McLauchlan’s face an increasingly familiar picture of helplessness as a free-kick was given away. It was played short and Harder smashed in a shot from 20 yards.
Wolfsburg were not done, even if the game was, and Harder definitely wasn’t. Ten minutes after the restart she had her hat-trick. Another Huth cross, another header, and it was 5-0. Glasgow got theirs, but still Wolfsburg came again, again, again and again. Four minutes later Rauch made it 6-1, Harder got the seventh – Huth again the provider. And just when it seemed it couldn’t get worse, two more, horrible moments followed, self-inflicted this time, Wade’s moment of wonder now buried under a pile of goals.