Bayern Munich Frauen crush Grasshopper Club Zurich in first preseason friendly

Bayern Munich Frauen won their first friendly of the summer, a 9-0 victory over Grasshopper Club Zurich. The match was played in three 30 minute periods. Four different players recorded a brace for the Bavarians, but the brilliant performance wasn’t even the highlight of the match.

The biggest news, of course, was the return of Jovana Damnjanovic.

Photo by Simon Hofmann - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

Damnjanovic tore her ACL way back in August 2020 during the quarterfinal of the UEFA Women’s Champions League match against Olympique Lyon, which Bayern would go on to lose 2-1. She missed the entire 2020/2021 season when Bayern won the Frauen Bundesliga for the first time in five years. Now, she’s back.

Her return adds a big new wrinkle to Bayern’s attack up front with her physicality that just can’t be replaced by the other forwards on the roster.

The four braces in the match were scored by Viviane Asseyi, Karólína Vilhjálmsdóttir, Lea Schüller, and Linda Dallmann. Damnjanovic got the other goal.

It’s going to be a busy summer of preparation for Bayern, with matches against some of the best teams in the world now in their immediate future. On August 4th and 6th, Bayern will take part in the French Cup with Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon, and Roma. Bayern’s first match will be against Lyon. Then, on August 18th and 21st, Bayern will take part in the The Women’s Cup with PSG, Racing Louisville, and the Chicago Red Stars.