Two of the Bundesliga’s most clinical teams went head-to-head as VfL Wolfsburg hosted Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday afternoon, but neither was able to find the target in a 0-0 draw at the Volkswagen Arena.
The result against the reigning Bundesliga and DFB Cup holders leaves VfL in eighth place for now in the table, although that could still change depending on the outcome of Borussia Mönchengladbach’s meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday evening.
Fischer hits the bar
Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side produced an impressive performance against an in-form Leverkusen side, combining tactical discipline with a willingness to cover a lot of ground. The Wolves were unfortunate not to edge ahead in the second half when Kilian Fischer’s shot from the edge of the area struck the crossbar.
Stuttgart next up
Having just played the defending champions, the Green-and-Whites next go up against last season’s Bundesliga runners-up on Matchday 22 when they travel to VfB Stuttgart’s MHP Arena on Saturday 15 February (kick-off 15:30 CET).
Reactions
Ralph Hasenhüttl: “It was a very intense game. We had nine shots at goal but none of them were precise enough; it was a question of millimetres. We put the ball in the net but it was marginally offside. A couple of centimetres were all that was between us and the win. Overall, I think a lot of what we worked on during the week came off really well. We were composed on the ball and were able to get ourselves out of situations where they put us under pressure. We knew Leverkusen wouldn’t have completely shaken off the effects of their game during the week. With that in mind, the energy they played with was incredible. I’m very proud of the way my team played, it was a very mature performance. We’re on the right track and even though today was the first time we didn’t score at home, I’m not dissatisfied at all.”
Xabi Alonso: “It was an intense match with good spells for both teams. We kept going until the last minute. The second half was better from us. Our plan was to stretch them in the first half so that we could have some good moments after the break. We didn’t win in the end, but I think it’s a fair result.”
Line-ups and stats
VfL Wolfsburg: M. Müller – Fischer (90‘+3. Bornauw), Koulierakis, Vavro, Maehle – Arnold, Svanberg (90‘ Vranckx), Tomas (73‘ Skov Olsen), Wimmer (90‘ Gerhardt) – Amoura, Wind (90‘ Behrens)
Subs: Pervan (GK), Roerslev, B. Dardai, Kaminski
Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Hradecky – Mukiele, Tah, Hermoso – Arthur (60‘ Frimpong), Andrich, Hincapie, Xhaka, Garcia (60’ Wirtz) – Tella (76’ Buendia), Boniface (76’ Buendia)
Subs: Kovar (GK) – Tapsoba, Hofmann, Palacios, Adli
Yellow cards: Maehle, Koulierakis / Boniface, Andrich, MukieleReferee: Sascha Stegemann (Niederkassel)
Attendance: 28,198 at Volkswagen Arena (Wolfsburg)
