VfL Wolfsburg has continued its impressive winning streak and is going into the long World Cup break with eight unbeaten league games in a row. Lower Saxony won 2-1 (1-1) at the ailing TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday of the 15th matchday of the Bundesliga. VfL has thus celebrated its fourth league win in a row.
Ridle Baku (56th) scored for VfL, followed by an own goal by Hoffenheim’s Ozan Kabak (45th + 4). It was the third bankruptcy in a row for TSG. Hoffenheim has only won one of the last nine league games (at Schalke 04). The goal of Austria’s Christoph Baumgartner (42nd) didn’t change that.
300th Bundesliga game for Arnold
The only 18,014 spectators in Sinsheim saw the first good chance for the hosts in the 4th minute: Baumgartner’s header failed at Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteels, who was under contract with TSG between 2011 and 2015. The hosts remained the more active team after this scene.
The guests around their captain Maximilian Arnold, who was the first VfL professional to play his 300th Bundesliga game, hardly achieved anything on offense. Georginio Rutter should have scored in the 23rd minute: The Frenchman failed to head the strong Casteels from close range.
Kabak own goal in stoppage time
In the last minutes of the first half things got really busy: First, Mattias Svanberg had the lead for VfL on his heels (40′). Then Baumgartner hit his head. The team of referees led by Daniel Schlager played their part in the goal: Hoffenheim’s corner in front of the goal shouldn’t have been there. In injury time of the first half it was Kabak who unluckily steered the ball into his own goal.
At the beginning of the second half, Hoffenheim increased the number of strokes. However, the goal was marked by Baku, who successfully completed a VfL counterattack. After falling behind, TSG ran on: Rutter (59′), Baumgartner (61′) and Kabak (64′) didn’t get the ball in the goal despite the best chances.
Hoffenheim in the capital
After the winter break on Matchday 16, Hoffenheim have to hold their own against the old Försterei at Union Berlin (Saturday, January 21, 2023, 3:30 p.m.). Wolfsburg is playing against SC Freiburg at the same time in their own stadium.