Wout Weghorst fires unbeaten Wolfsburg into second with win over Union Berlin
Wout Weghorst’s fourth Bundesliga goal of the season kept Wolfsburg unbeaten with a 1-0 win over Union Berlin to send the Wolves second in the table.
Wolfsburg 1-0 Union Berlin
Goals: 1-0 Weghorst (69')
Having seen Borussia Mönchengladbach go top of the Bundesliga earlier in the day, Wolfsburg set about securing a victory that would move them within a point of the Foals and second in the league heading into the international break. And Wolves top scorer Weghorst had a great chance to put his side on course to do just that after six minutes but his effort was well saved by Rafal Gikiewicz. Union proved superbly resolute in nullifying a Wolfsburg team enjoying the best start to a Bundesliga season in their history and came close to going ahead as Robert Andrich’s corner was cleared off the line by Renato Steffen. Joao Victor then headed over under pressure from Gikiewicz on the stroke of half time as the two sides went into the break goalless.
That looked to change nine minutes after the restart, with Weghorst brought down in the box and the referee pointing to the penalty spot before VAR adjudged the 27-year-old to have handled before Marvin Friedrich bundled him to the floor. The incident spurred the game to life as Christian Gentner went close, his header forcing Pavao Pervan into a save. The match looked as though it would remain without a goal until Weghorst scored his first in five games in all competitions, latching on to substitute Josip Brekalo's pass to fire home with Wolfsburg's first shot on target in the second half. Brekalo had only been on the pitch for three minutes and provided a rare moment of quality in the final third to free his side's Dutch spearhead, who duly delivered the victory that sent Oliver Glasner's men into second.
Match stats
- Wolfsburg are unbeaten in their first seven matches of a season for the first time in their Bundesliga history (W4, D3).
- The Wolves are also unbeaten on home soil in their last 11 (W7, D4).
- Weghorst once again leads the way at the top of the Wolfsburg scoring charts with four goals. He hit 17 last term.
- The Dutchman's 15 Bundesliga goals in 2019 is second only to Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski (23).
- Urs Fischer has overseen four successive competitive defeats for the first time as Union coach.
- Union have won only one of their last 10 away from home - a 6-0 victory against Regionalliga side VfB Germania Halberstadt in the DFB Cup first round.
Line-ups
Wolfsburg: Pervan – Knoche, Bruma, Tisserand – William, Guilavogui (c), Arnold, Steffen (Gerhardt 90+2') – Mehmedi (Brekalo 66'), Victor (Klaus 83') – Weghorst
Unused subs: Menzel, Malli, Mbabu, Rexhbecaj, Azzaoiu
Out: Brooks (hamstring), Camacho (ankle), Casteels (shin), Ginczek (back), Nmecha (concussion), Otavio (match fitness), Roussillon (calf), Schlager (broken ankle)
Coach: Oliver Glasner
Union: Gikiewicz – Trimmel (c), Friedrich, Subotic (Mees 86'), Schlotterbeck, Lenz – Becker (Ingvartsen 72'), Gentner (Ujah 77'), Andrich, Bülter – Andersson
Unused subs: Nicolas, Ryerson, Reichel, Kroos, Schmiedebach, Parensen
Out: Abdullahi (knee), Gogia (knee), Polter (suspended), Prömel (knee)
Coach: Urs Fischer
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