Weghorst helps fire Wolfsburg past Düsseldorf
Wout Weghorst got a goal and an assist as Wolfsburg returned to winning ways with a comfortable victory over luckless Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Fortuna Düsseldorf 0-3 Wolfsburg
Goals: 0-1 Weghorst (41', pen.), 0-2 Brekalo (73'), 0-3 Ginczek (80')
Düsseldorf’s Rouwen Hennings fired wide from a tight angle early on after latching onto a short back pass in what were physical opening exchanges. Three yellow cards were produced in the first 15 minutes, but the first major chance for the visitors arrived five minutes later. Weghorst couldn’t get enough purchase on a shot from inside the area, however, to cap a sweeping Wolfsburg counter attack. The Wolves went even closer shortly afterwards when Maximilian Arnold cracked a low, long-range effort off the outside of the post from a free-kick, but they forged ahead when Hennings was adjudged to have handled another set-piece in the defensive wall. Weghorst confidently sent the keeper the wrong way from the penalty to give Wolfsburg a half-time lead.
The home side found possession easier to come by initially following the restart, but rarely looked like threatening Wolfsburg’s lead. Instead, Arnold fizzed another shot wide from distance and Marcel Tisserand headed wide as Bruno Labbadia’s team pushed for a second goal. The visitors eventually got it when Weghorst turned provider for Josip Brekalo, and the Croatian youngster was afforded plenty of time to smash the ball across home goalkeeper Michael Rensing from inside the penalty box. There was still time for Daniel Ginczek to drill home his first league goal since the opening weekend as Wolfsburg cruised to victory.
WATCH: Weghorst reflects on the end of Wolfsburg's winless run
Match stats
- Wolfsburg snapped a six-game run without a win. Their last league success before this game was a 3-1 victory in Leverkusen on Matchday 2.Wout Weghorst scored for the second week running. He now has four league goals since joining from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar over the summer.The Wolves have never lost a competitive game against Düsseldorf (W4, D3).Bottom-of-the-table Düsseldorf have now lost their last five league matches and have conceded 17 goals during that run. Fortuna goalkeeper Michael Rensing has not saved any of the 19 penalties he has faced in the Bundesliga.Referee Daniel Schlager brandished a Bundesliga season-high of nine yellow cards.
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Line-ups
Fortuna: Rensing – Zimmer, Ayhan, Bormuth, Gießelmann – Bodzek (c) (Ducksch 66') – Zimmermann, Morales (Barkok 78') - Raman, Lukebakio (Usami 78')– Hennings
Unused subs: Theißen, Nielsen, Stöger, Kaminski
Absentees: Wolf (neck), Contento (knee), Hoffmann (concussion), Fink (Achilles)
Coach: Friedhelm Funkel
Wolfsburg: Casteels (c) – William, Tisserand, Brooks, Roussillon (Itter 87') – Gerhardt, Arnold (Rexhbecaj 84'), Brekalo – Ginczek, Steffen (Malli 84') – Weghorst
Unused subs: Pervan, Verhaegh, Yeboah, Knocke
Absentees: Azzaoui (knee), Camacho (ankle), Guilavogui (knee), Klaus (stomach)
Coach: Bruno Labaddia
As it happened