In the direct duel for connection to the top group of the Bundesliga, VfL Wolfsburg narrowly remained ahead against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Jonas Wind scored the goals to make it 2-0 (1-0) for Wolfsburg before the break (31st minute) and after the break when he converted a penalty kick parried by Kevin Trapp in the follow-up shot (84th). After a good hour, Mario Götze saw the yellow-red card (58th) – just when Eintracht seemed to be getting stronger.
The wait continues after 329 days: Eintracht Frankfurt’s away misery in the Bundesliga simply never ends. Coach Dino Toppmöller’s team lost on matchday six in Wolfsburg and will therefore remain without a win away from home in 2023 (six draws, seven defeats).
Frankfurt acted too passively and timidly in front of 28,323 spectators, so Toppmöller suffered his first defeat in his tenth competitive game as Eintracht coach. The Hessians remain stuck in eighth place in the no-man’s land of the table, Wolfsburg climbed to seventh place after their third home win under former SGE coach Niko Kovac.
“We didn’t wait, we always started, didn’t let the opponent breathe and, what’s more, played good football,” said coach Nico Kovac and described the victory as absolutely deserved. Kovac found the double pack from striker Wind only logical: “At the moment he’s scoring the goals, but what’s important is that we score them.”
Eintracht: Winless away from home since November 2022
Frankfurt’s last Bundesliga away win to date was on November 5, 2022 (2-1 at FC Augsburg). “We want to cause problems for the opponent and dominate the game with the ball,” Toppmöller had said before the game and that was also why he ordered Götze back into the starting line-up instead of Niels Nkounkou – but Wolfsburg initially set the tone.
Frankfurt needed a few minutes to get used to the home team’s good organization, but then had the best opportunity of the opening phase: Ellyes Skhiri, after a nice combination, aimed too imprecisely (21′).
Wolfsburg’s wind takes advantage of the opportunity
Ten minutes later, Wind was once again in top form, the Dane had the right instinct for a rebound – and slotted in without any problems. Shortly before the end, with his second goal, he exceeded his season’s best from the previous year and set a club record – seven goals after six matchdays had never been achieved before by a Wolfsburg player.
Ex-Wolfsburg player Omar Marmoush had an excellent opportunity to equalize shortly after the setback, but overall the goal unsettled Eintracht; the “Wolves” were then faster, more alert and more aggressive. As time went on, Frankfurt tried to build up more and more pressure and play faster up front – but Wolfsburg usually defended cleverly.
Frankfurt outnumbered after Götze was sent off
Outnumbered after Götze was sent off for blocking the execution of a free kick in the first half and kicking Mattias Svanberg in the heels, Frankfurt then lacked the strength for a decisive final spurt.
Instead, Wind made everything clear: First the Dane failed with a penalty kick against national goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, but he safely converted the follow-up shot.
Wolfsburg in Stuttgart, Frankfurt against Heidenheim
On the next matchday, the “Wolves” will travel to Stuttgart for the away game (Saturday, October 7th, 2023 at 3:30 p.m.). Eintracht will face the guests from Heidenheim one day later (7.30 p.m.).