Academy

Holding their nerve to reach the last 16

U19 Young Wolves beat Fortuna Düsseldorf 6-5 on penalties.

VfL Wolfsburg U19s are through to the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal der Junioren. In the second round, head coach Niklas Bräuer’s side beat Fortuna Düsseldorf 6-5 on penalties on Sunday. The Green-and-Whites controlled the game for long spells but, after Düsseldorf’s late equaliser, had to go through extra time and a penalty shoot-out. The Young Wolves held their nerve from the spot to successfully negotiate their second away tie, following their 6-0 victory at SGV Freiberg in the opening round of the cup.

Sticherling rewards strong spell


Up against a Fortuna side still unbeaten in the DFB-Nachwuchsliga, the Young Wolves were in control for long periods. VfL moved the ball around well, dictated proceedings and repeatedly managed to play their way into the final third. The only thing missing initially was a cutting edge in the opposition penalty area, meaning the teams went into the break goalless. The Green-and-Whites continued to set the tone after the restart and eventually got their reward: Isaiah Seretis fired the ball into the box from the right, where Carl-Anton Sticherling did brilliantly to win his header and nod home for a deserved 1-0 lead (54’). VfL increasingly lost their grip on the game after that, however, allowing the hosts to see more of the ball. Düsseldorf took advantage of that spell and grabbed a late equaliser on a quick counter-attack through Tchatakpara, who found the far corner with a low finish to make it 1-1 (84’).

VfL-Wolfsburg-U19-Spieler Bruno Katz läuft mit dem Ball über das Spielfeld.

Flawless from the spot


The match therefore went to extra time, where it became increasingly open. The Wolves once again posed the greater attacking threat but were unable to make their chances count. At the other end, Dusan Pernis kept his team in the game with a number of important saves, meaning there was still no winner after 120 minutes. The Green-and-Whites then showed nerves of steel in the shoot-out: David Vajagic, Bruno Katz, Leeron Danioko, Michael John and Saido Balde all converted their five penalties. Pernis saved Düsseldorf’s fifth spot-kick to seal a 6-5 victory and a place in the last 16.

“Came through an away test as a team”


Head coach Niklas Bräuer was understandably proud: “We played very well for 60 minutes, had a lot of control of the ball and kept playing our way into the final third. Unfortunately, we weren’t clinical enough there, but we thoroughly deserved to reward ourselves by going 1-0 up. After that, we had a spell where we let the momentum slip away from us. The key thing for me is how we stuck together as a team and helped each other. The boys then showed incredible maturity in the penalty shoot-out. Dusan gets his reward for a strong performance by saving the decisive penalty. I’m extremely proud that we came through an away test like this as a team.”

VfL Wolfsburg U19: Pernis – Neininger, Greger, Saidykhan, Mandity (79. Furuseth) – Furtado Brito (111. Vajagic), Hint (68. Balde) – Seretis (90.+3 Paananen), Peters (69. Danioko), Katz – Sticherling (79. John)


Goals: 0-1 Sticherling (54’), 1-1 Tchatakpara (84’)