1. FSV Mainz 05's striker Nicolai Müller blows the home fans a kiss after scoring his side's second goal to defeat VfL Wolfsburg
1. FSV Mainz 05's striker Nicolai Müller blows the home fans a kiss after scoring his side's second goal to defeat VfL Wolfsburg

Mainz hit twice on counter to send Wolfsburg packing

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Mainz - An entertaining first-half gave way to an implosion in the second as 1. FSV Mainz 05 beat VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 on Matchday 3.

Wolves implode

The visitors settled into the game more easily, moving the ball around their Lusophone trio of Luiz Gustavo, Diego and Vieirinha confidently. Mainz wouldn’t be quelled that easily though, and in front of fervent home support they regularly broke on the counter-attack with Nicolai Müller, whose through-balls were squandered just as regularly by Shinji Okazaki.

A blistering effort from Vierinha on the quarter-hour mark was tipped over acrobatically by Heinz Müller in the Mainz goal, and the same player had his header cleared off the line after half an hour.

The second-half saw Wolfsburg press the self-destruct button. On the hour mark Maxim Choupo-Moting took advantage of their failure to clear after a corner to power the loose ball home from six yards, and four minutes later new signing Luiz Gustavo was given his marching orders for a second yellow card.

To compound a miserable and wet afternoon for the visitors, Nicolai Müller hammered a shot past Diego Benaglio and into the top corner to make it 2-0 on the break after 78 minutes. Thomas Tuchel’s counter-attacking tactics had paid off for a second week running, and sent Dieter Hecking home lamenting a second defeat of the season.

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