A Perfect Afternoon, Says Petermann
- LCFC Women beat Bristol City 4-2 in the Barclays Women’s Super League
- Lena Petermann scored a second-half header at Ashton Gate
- The German striker joined the Club from Montpellier in the summer
- Aimee Palmer, Shannon O’Brien and Jutta Rantala scored the other City goals
Leicester got their 2023/24 WSL campaign off to a great start on Sunday after three second-half goals saw the Foxes romp home to a 4-2 victory over the Robins, ensuring three points would be taken back to the East Midlands.
Petermann was among the goalscorers at Ashton Gate, after nodding home a header just before the hour mark, and the No.9 was delighted to open her account after signing for the Club from French outfit Montpellier during the summer transfer window.
“I don’t think the afternoon could’ve been better,” Petermann told LCFC.com. “It’s so important to start with a win and I’m very happy to get my first goal in this league so it’s a perfect day. We fought back really well, the equaliser was so important just before half-time.
“It showed that we were there mentally, and we started the second half really well. We were fighting hard in our duels, winning more balls in the box and the goals eventually came.
“It was really easy to settle with this Club, and after two weeks I felt like I had been here a couple of years, but it’s a great team with some talented players so I’m so happy to be here and be a part of it.”
There’s no better feeling for a striker than getting off the mark with a debut goal, and Petermann did just such in the 52nd minute, when she met a cross at the back post to head beyond Fran Bentley.
When asked about the goal and how she was settling in at Belvoir Drive, the German was keen to explain how friendly her new team-mates have been in welcoming her to Leicestershire and how that translates on the pitch.
“It’s always important throughout the season to be dangerous from set pieces and it’s nice to score a header,” she continued. “I like to have my back to the goal and use my strength to bring others into play, but then have the pace to turn and get into the box.
“It’s so important to start off the season with a win. We know we are capable of bouncing back when we’re behind; we’re mentally strong which you can see and it wasn’t a perfect game, but we created problems in the second half which made the difference.”