Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the Women's FA Cup quarter-finals in the most dramatic fashion possible, overcoming a stubborn London City Lionesses side in a marathon penalty shootout on Monday night. After a 2-2 draw at Hayes Lane that saw Spurs rescue themselves with a 95th-minute penalty, the north London outfit eventually triumphed 9-8 in a shootout that saw 17 consecutive successful spot-kicks before a final hero emerged.
Arsenal forward Olivia Smith was stretchered from the field and taken to hospital when suffering a worrying head injury during the Gunners’ Women’s FA Cup clash with Bristol City. The Canadian star was rushed away for medical checks, having received lengthy treatment on the field. A full diagnosis is yet to be delivered, but Arsenal are “hopeful” that the knock is not too serious.
Manchester United's bid to reach a fourth-straight Women's FA Cup final was ended on Sunday as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea after extra time in their fifth-round tie. Phallon Tullis-Joyce produced heroics in the Red Devils' goal but couldn't keep out strikes from Sam Kerr and Naomi Girma, while Simi Awujo's equaliser couldn't spark a come-from-behind win for Marc Skinner's side.
Naomi Girma picked a perfect time to score her first Chelsea goal on Sunday, with her finish in extra-time allowing the Blues to secure a dramatic 2-1 win over Manchester United and put themselves into the FA Cup quarter-finals. It looked like Sam Kerr's late second-half strike was going to be the difference for Sonia Bompastor's side in a tightly-contested clash, but Simi Awujo's quick-fire response prolonged the tie, paving the way for Girma to be the hero.
After winning all of the last six Women's Super League titles in succession, it's not been an easy season so far for Chelsea. The Blues are set to surrender their crown for the first time in seven years, with Manchester City sat eight points clear at the top of the table, and the negative noise around the club has only grown since the unpopular departure of Paul Green, the long-time head of women's football, was announced last week. But on Sunday, it felt like a boost of hope was injected into their season, by none other than Lauren James.
Koln, Arminia Bielefeld, and Bochum hold the record of winning the 2. Bundesliga titles the most number of times with four each to their name. FC St. Pauli won the 2. Bundesliga at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, their first title in Germany's second division.
How many teams are in the 2. Bundesliga?
Currently, there are 18 teams contesting in the 2. Bundesliga. Since its inception in 1974 till 1994, there were two divisions of 20 clubs, with 10 clubs in each division. However, since 1994-95, 18 teams contest for the 2. Bundesliga title in the traditional league format.
Who has made the most 2. Bundesliga appearances ever?
Willi Landgraf, a former German defender, holds the record for making the most 2. Bundesliga appearances. Landgraf appeared in 508 games in the league and played for Rot-Weiss Essen, Homburg, Gutersloh, and Alemannia Aachen.
Who is the all-time top scorer of the 2. Bundesliga?
Simon Terodde, who recently played for Schalke, is the leading goalscorer of all-time in 2. Bundesliga. The lanky German striker scored 177 goals in 311 games and represented Bochum, Schalke, Stuttgart, Hamburger, Union Berlin, and Duisburg.
Who is the oldest player ever in the 2. Bundesliga and how old was he?
Former German goalkeeper Peter Eich is the oldest player to feature in a 2. Bundesliga game, achieving the feat at the age of 44 years and 330 days in May 2006.
Who is the youngest player ever in the 2. Bundesliga and how old was he?
Turkish midfielder Efe-Kaan Sihlaroglu was just 16 years and 142 days old when he made his debut for Karlsruher against Hannover in 2021, thus making him the youngest player ever in the 2. Bundesliga.
Which famous players have played in the 2. Bundesliga?
Rudi Voller, Simon Terodde, Ottmar Hitzfeld, and Niclas Fullkrug are among the most famous players to have played in 2. Bundesliga.
Which famous managers have managed in the 2. Bundesliga?
Friedhelm Funkel, Ralph Hassenhuttl, Ralf Rangnick, and Klaus Augenthaler are among the most renowned managerial names in 2. Bundesliga history.
What is the biggest stadium in the 2. Bundesliga?
Berlin's Olympstadion, which is home to Hertha BSC, is the biggest stadium in 2. Bundesliga with a capacity of 74,475. It is Germany's second-biggest football stadium after Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park.
Who is the most expensive player in the history of the 2. Bundesliga?
Davie Selke is the most expensive 2. Bundesliga signing of all-time. Selke was bought for €8 million from Werden Bremen by RB Leipzig in 2015.