Kießling at the double as Wolfsburg lick their wounds
Leverkusen - Bayer 04 Leverkusen defeated VfL Wolfsburg 3-1 after an action-packed second-half.
Leverkusen call the shots
The two sides were evenly-matched early on. Diego and Luiz Gustavo in the Wolves' midfield were able to move the ball smoothly, while the hosts sat back and looked to counter. Their first opportunity to do so in the 23rd minute ended in a goal from Sidney Sam, whose pace took him clear before he stroked a left-footed finish past Diego Benaglio.
The goal stunned the visitors into action, resulting in nine shots - the most clinical of which came from birthday boy Ivica Olic, whose cushioned volley at the near-post made it 1-1 on the 40 minute mark. Just before the break, Gustavo rattled the bar from 25 yards as Sami Hyypiä’s side breathed a sigh of relief.
The hosts emerged with renewed motivation and Kießling created a glorious chance for Heung Min Son, who struck wide in a one-on-one situation. Kießling went from near-provider to scorer ten minutes later, as he nodded in his third goal of the season from close range.
Indeed, Leverkusen had rarely been threatened in the second half before the goal, and the cushion allowed them to exert total control on proceedings. Luiz Gustavo personified Wolfsburg's second-half implosion, being sent off for the second time in his first three games for his new club, before Kießling completed the victory in stoppage time, condemning Dieter Hecking's men to their third defeat of the season.
Line-ups and statistics
