High-scoring first half
Both teams went on the front foot from the outset, eager to shoot at the earliest opportunity. It was VfB who found the target first, however, Serhou Guirassy scoring from close range despite the home side being on top at the time (22’). The Wolves replied instantly as Omar Marmoush, who was on loan at VfB last season, equalised with a shot from the edge of the box just 73 seconds later. Wolfsburg continued to apply pressure on the VfB rearguard and took the lead in the 38th minute when Maximilian Arnold’s long-range shot slipped through Florian Müller’s gloves and into the goal. VfB refused to let their heads hang though, and levelled the score once more through Konstantinos Mavropanos’s header shortly before the interval.
Last-gasp defeat
Chances were far less frequent in the second half as the game developed into more of a midfield battle. Silas did have the opportunity to put VfB in front once more in the 57th minute but his shot struck the crossbar. The teams cancelled each other out thereafter as fouls disrupted the flow of the game, but just as it looked to be heading towards another draw for VfB, Wolfsburg scored in stoppage time. Yannick Gerhardt stuck out a boot to connect with a flick-on, giving the home side all three points and leaving VfB without a win this season.
Goals
22nd minute (0-1): Hiroki Ito crosses from the left, and Guirassy makes no mistake from inside the six-yard box.
23rd minute (1-1): Marmoush cuts inside and arrows a powerful shot in at the near post.
38th minute (1-2): Arnold takes aim from distance and the ball skips off Müller’s gloves and into the net.
45th (+1) minute (2-2): Pascal Stenzel’s cross finds Mavropanos unmarked and he heads past Koen Casteels to equalise at 2-2.
90th (+1) minute (3-2): Heartbreak for VfB as the Wolves combine down the right and Mattias Svanberg’s looping cross finds Gerhardt, who just has to bundle it over the line.
Reaction
VfB head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo: “We’re very disappointed to have lost. I didn’t like the manner in which we conceded the goals at all. We could definitely have got a draw today. Now we’ve got three home games coming up, which gives us the opportunity to turn the situation in a positive direction.”
Waldemar Anton: “At half-time the coach said that whoever wants it more, whoever does more, will win the game. So now we need to look at ourselves. Every single one of us needs to do more. We’ve got two very important home games next.”
