Due to a dedicated performance, the guests would have deserved at least one point. The North Germans started furiously with a shot at the post by Xaver Schlager (3rd), but then the table seventh convinced with combinations worth seeing, clever changes of pace and a healthy duel toughness. The Wolfsburg defense wobbled several times, but it only became really dangerous with a shot by Dominique Heintz (14th), which goalkeeper Koen Casteels was able to parry from close range. VfL trainer Florian Kohfeldt was visibly nervous and worked on his chewing gum even more intensively than usual. “Max Kruse is a dangerous sneak,” Kohfeldt’s trainer colleague Urs Fischer said about his former difference player, who switched from Berlin to Wolfsburg in January. But the veteran was rarely able to shine, especially in the first half, and repeatedly made the wrong decisions on runs. Even after the change of sides, the guests took action in front of 15,703 spectators. And were almost quickly rewarded for it, Awoniyi hit the side netting from a tight angle in the 48th minute. In the period that followed, the hosts managed almost nothing in the forward movement. Kohfeldt reacted and replaced Poland’s Bartosz Bialek with Lukas Nmecha in the 64th minute: it was the national player’s first appearance this year after a long-term ankle injury. Nmecha hit the crossbar after only five minutes of action.
Both opponents have to go back on Saturday (03/12/2022). For Wolfsburg it’s against Freiburg, for Berlin against Stuttgart.