Freiburg strike late to end Wolfsburg's unbeaten run
Wolfsburg's four-match unbeaten sequence under coach Andries Jonker came to an end at the Volkswagen Arena as Florian Niederlechner struck late to earn Freiburg maximum points.
Wolfsburg 0-1 Freiburg
Goals: 0-1 Niederlechner (78')
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Involved in a dramatic end-to-end encounter against Bayer Leverkusen that finished 3-3 last weekend, Wolfsburg enjoyed a much more one-sided opening to their meeting with Freiburg. The hosts – who dominated with attacking intent for large spells of the first half – should have hit the front in the game’s early stages when Mario Gomez prodded wide from close range. Riechedly Bazoer, Vieirinha and Gomez subsequently found Alexander Schwolow in superb form, the visiting custodian denying all three with smart saves, while at the other end Niederlechner drove wide from a tight angle.
Winless in their last three Bundesliga games, Freiburg emerged with increased ambition after the restart. Niederlechner pounced on a loose ball before sending a shot over and, after Vieirinha chose to fire at goal as opposed to passing to the unmarked Maximilian Arnold at the other end, the busy Vincenzo Grifo saw an effort clipped wide. Robin Knoche’s looping header was then dealt with by Schwolow before Freiburg delivered the killer blow, Niederlechner accepting substitute Nils Petersen’s through pass before expertly firing into the corner.
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Man of the match
Schwolow picked off several outstanding saves to deny the hosts an opening their first-half dominance arguably deserved and although not as busy after the break, was nonetheless a key figure iin his team's victory
Talking point
Wolfsburg picked up eight points from their previous four outings prior to meeting Freiburg, yet their poor early season form continues to keep them mired in a relegation battle, sitting as they are just one point above the bottom three places. In seventh, meanwhile, Frieburg can begin to dream of a European finish.
Match stats
- Gomez was named Wolfsburg captain for the first time. His last such role in the Bundesliga came at VfB Stuttgart in April 2009.For Jonker, this was a first Bundesliga coaching loss after nine games without defeat.Christian Streich's team went six games without a win against Wolfsburg prior to their win here.
Line-ups
Wolfsburg: Casteels - Träsch, Knoche, Wollscheid, Horn - Guilavogui, Bazoer - Blaszczykowski (Didavi 67'), Arnold, Vieirinha (Mayoral 84') - Gomez (c)
Coach: Andries Jonker
Freiburg: Schwolow - Ignjovski, Söyüncü, Kempf, Kübler - Guede (Petersen 69'), Frantz, Schuster (c) - Grifo - Niederlechner (Niedermeier 90+1'), Haberer (Bulut 84')
Coach: Christian Streich