VfL Wolfsburg were unable to pull off an upset against league leaders Borussia Dortmund despite a gritty performance on Saturday. There was no lack of effort from the Green-Whites but Dortmund showed why they currently lead the way in the Bundesliga. VfL did have chances, though, and gave their supporters cause for optimism going into their upcoming games.
Bruno Labbadia: “We conceded the goal during our best spell, which was hugely frustrating. We were getting a better grip on the game and we’d achieved what we set out to do: to move Dortmund around with our possession. It was looking good at that moment and then we conceded the goal. The second half was a bit muddled because we gave the ball away too easily and therefore couldn’t get full control. Our crossing wasn’t good enough throughout the match. Overall it’s a real shame for us. The team put in a lot of effort, covered a lot of ground and our organisation was also good – we closed the space well. It’s difficult against Dortmund with their excellent passing game. We didn’t give them many opportunities and the willingness was there when we won possession. We're a bit disappointed that we didn’t get at least a point.”
Lucien Favre: “Wolfsburg were very good in the first half. It was very difficult for us because they were well organised. We struggled to find openings. We kept trying to create chances and the goal was very important for us. We were better in the second half; we dominated the game for 30 minutes and had a lot of possession. When you have a period like that, you have to score the second goal but we didn’t manage to do that. You never know what’s going to happen. Wolfsburg could’ve equalised and the danger was there until the final whistle.”
