IRELAND STRIKER AMBER Barrett fired FC Köln’s winning goal in the 2. Bundesliga today, which sealed all three points at Würzburger Kickers.
It is so good to be back 😍 3 big points on the road 🔴⚪️ @fckoeln_en https://t.co/1PMjc7fitF
— A.B. (@amberbarrett09) March 21, 2021
Donegal native Barrett picked up where she left off and hit the ground running on the restart, bagging the decisive effort which made it 1-0 and kept Köln top of the table.
The 25-year-old continued her habit of scoring opening goals, having done so on several occasions since she moved to Germany from Peamount United in June 2019.
Barrett — who is also a talented Gaelic footballer, having played inter-county for Donegal in the past — has been in consistently good form since making the switch, producing some standout displays for her side, but they could not avoid the drop from the Frauen-Bundesliga last May.
Opener vs Saarbrücken
— 1. FC Cologne (@fckoeln_en) March 21, 2021
Opener vs Bayern
Opener vs Leverkusen
Opener vs Hoffenheim
Opener vs Würzburg@amberbarrett09 loves to score the opening goal 🤩 pic.twitter.com/JaXVZNAHRw
Second-tier league action resumed today, with Köln having won four from four so far following victories over FC Saarbrücken, Bayern Munich II and Hoffenheim II in October, before the league came to a halt.
They face Eintracht Franfurt II next weekend as their bid for a swift return to the top-flight resumes.
Barrett is one of two Irish internationals flying the flag in Germany, Limerick defender Claire O’Riordan the other following Diane Caldwell’s recent move to US side North Carolina Courage, where she joins Denise O’Sullivan.
There was disappointment for O’Riordan and her struggling MSV Duisburg side today as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to Bayer 04 Leverkusen on home soil.
Unsere #MSVFrauen unterliegen @bayer04frauen mit 0:2 😔
— MSV Duisburg (@MSVDuisburg) March 21, 2021
Am Sonntag geht es schon weiter gegen die @FCBfrauen.#Gemeinsam1902 #dieliga pic.twitter.com/mKAauZqdPC
Meanwhile, there were no Irish players in action in the Women’s Super League [WSL] this afternoon as Tottenham Hotspur and Bristol City played out a 1-1 draw in the English top-flight. Girls In Green captain Katie McCabe did pop up with an assist as her Arsenal side beat Manchester United 2-0 on Friday night.
There were midweek wins for Machester City (Megan Campbell and Tyler Toland — the latter is on loan at Glasgow City) and Brighton & Hove Albion (Megan Connolly and Rianna Jarrett), while West Ham (Leanne Kiernan and Courtney Brosnan) and Birmingham City (Harriet Scott and Ruseha Littlejohn) drew 2-2.
Chelsea remain top of the table there, with Man City two points adrift with a game in hand.
Elsewhere this weekend, Louise Quinn’s Fiorentina were beaten 3-1 by Napoli CF, while Julie-Ann Russell’s Western Sydney Wanderers suffered the same fate at the hands of Adelaide United in Australia’s top-flight W-League.
The Women’s National League [WNL] kicks off on these shores next weekend.
