First Team

Amoura the match-winner against Hoffenheim

VfL earned a 1-0 win away to TSG Hoffenheim in their first game after the winter break.

VfL Wolfsburg started the new year with a win thanks to a 1-0 success away to TSG Hoffenheim. The match was a disjointed affair for long spells but grew in tension towards the end following Mohammed Amoura’s header to finish off one of a number of set pieces, ultimately giving the Green-and-Whites their first three points of 2025.

VfL with the cutting edge

It was a deserved three points overall for Ralph Hasenhüttl’s charges, who created the better chances throughout the game. One of those saw Tiago Tomas go one-on-one with Oliver Baumann in the 39th minute, while a brilliant pass from Maxi Arnold teed up Jonas Wind, but his first-time effort crashed off the right-hand post.

Goal

  • 0-1 Amoura (29’): VfL get their first goal of 2025! Amoura, standing at just 1.70m, evades his marker to reach Arnold’s corner and head in the only goal of the game.

Reaction

Christian Ilzer: “We can’t be satisfied with the first half. We looked insecure and didn’t implement many of the things we’d worked on. My team showed a reaction in the second half. That’s something we can work with, but we need to forget about the first half.”

Ralph Hasenhüttl: “Obviously we’re very happy to have won this game. We were solid at the back for the first time in a long time. We defended resolutely and hardly gave away any chances. When you have the time to work on things, then they work out.”

Line-up and stats

TSG Hoffenheim: Baumann – Kaderabek (46‘ Gendrey), Chaves, Nsoki (46‘ Akpoguma), Prass – Stach, Samassekou (46’ Yardimci) – Bischof (79‘ Geiger), Kramaric, Hlozek – Orban (60’ Moerstedt)

Subs: Philipp (GK), Hranac, Becker, Tabakovic

VfL Wolfsburg: Grabara – Fischer (89’ Vranckx), Vavro, Koulierakis, Maehle (89‘ Bornauw) – Dardai (79‘ Svanberg), Arnold, Gerhardt – Tomas (79‘ Kaminski), Wind, Amoura (63‘ Wimmer)

Subs: Müller (GK), Zesiger, Özcan, Behrens

Goals: 0-1 Amoura (29‘)

Yellow cards: Moerstedt / Tomas, Vavro

Referee: Christian Dingert (Lebecksmühle)

Attendance: 18,114 at PreZero-Arena (Sinsheim)