Wolfsburg still below expectations: 2:2 against Werder
VfL Wolfsburg continue to lag behind their own standards in the Bundesliga. The team from Lower Saxony were held to a 2:2 (1:1) draw against Werder Bremen on Sunday, meaning they have now gone four games without a win in the league. For Bremen, on the other hand, it was the first away point of the season, allowing the Hanseatic side to move further into a secure mid-table position.
In front of 28,917 spectators in Wolfsburg's Volkswagen Arena, Marvin Ducksch put Werder ahead in the seventh minute. Vaclav Cerny (37') and Kevin Paredes (59') then turned the game in the hosts' favor. However, Rafael Borré scored a deserved equalizer for Bremen (65'). Wolfsburg's Maxence Lacroix (88) was shown a yellow card shortly before the end,
Werder coach Werner put his trust in the team that had beaten Union Berlin 2-0 a week earlier. "The lads got a bit of a head start," said Werner after the all-important win against the capital side. The starting eleven justified their confidence and put in a very mature performance in the first half. Defensively, the visitors, who had conceded one goal after another in the early stages of the season, allowed virtually nothing. Offensively, Bremen showed some pleasing combinations.
Werder's early lead was therefore fully deserved. Ducksch curled a free-kick into the Wolfsburg goal. The hosts, whose captain Maximilian Arnold was once again only on the bench at the start, initially put in a sloppy performance with many misplaced passes and inaccuracies. Bremen failed to extend their lead in this phase and were punished for it eight minutes before the break.
Joakim Maehle made a strong challenge on Werder captain Marco Friedl at the corner of the penalty area and Cerny finished in the middle. It was the second competitive goal for the Czech, who joined from FC Twente Enschede, after he had already scored in the 1-0 win over RB Leipzig in the DFB Cup on Tuesday. Kovac had already praised Cerny before the game. "You can't expect to come here from the Netherlands and then immediately play everything into the ground. But he is a player who will definitely come."
Bremen came back into the game after the break. But Ducksch, Jens Stage and Olivier Deman missed good chances to regain the lead. That took its revenge after just under an hour. After a fine combination via Maehle and Lovro Majer, Paredes shot in completely unchallenged to make it 2:1. Werder were not shocked, however, and equalized shortly afterwards with a header from Borré.
Despite the draw, VfL Wolfsburg's record in the Bundesliga continues to struggle, having not secured a win in the past four games. In the aforementioned match against Werder Bremen, VfL Wolfsburg's opponents managed to secure their first away point of the season, with VfL Wolfsburg's Bundesliga struggles persisting even against a team like Werder Bremen.
Source: www.dpa.com
