First Team

Lead slips away

Wolves fall 1-3 at Mainz despite early opener.

VfL Wolfsburg suffered defeat in their first away match of the second half of the season. On Saturday afternoon, Daniel Bauer’s side lost 1-3 (1-0) to 1. FSV Mainz 05. An early goal from Mohammed Amoura (3’) gave the Wolves a promising start, and the lead held until midway through the second half. But after Phillip Tietz equalised (68’), the hosts kept pushing and sealed the home win through goals from Stefan Bell (73’) and Nadiem Amiri (84’, penalty) in front of 30,000 fans at the Mewa Arena. In the table, the Wolves remain in 12th place. The next chance to bounce back comes on Friday, 30 January (kick-off 8:30 p.m.), away to 1. FC Köln to open matchday 20.

Team News

Compared to the home match against Heidenheim, Bauer had to replace suspended captain Maximilian Arnold but was able to recall Dzenan Pejcinovic as well as Marius Müller and Mattias Svanberg. Konstantinos Koulierakis was ruled out at short notice due to muscular issues. The head coach made four changes to his starting eleven: Vini Souza, Denis Vavro, Sael Kumbedi and Pejcinovic came in for Arnold, Koulierakis, Jan Bürger and Lovro Majer. New signing Kento Shiogai was in the squad for the first time. Mainz made two changes from their 1-2 defeat in Cologne, bringing in Benedict Hollerbach and Stefan Posch.

Match Summary

Wolfsburg got off to a dream start: after just three minutes, Kumbedi combined with Pejcinovic on the right before cutting the ball back for Amoura, who flicked it home from close range to give the visitors an early lead. Almost immediately, Grabara had to produce a superb stop to deny Tietz the equaliser (5’) – just one of several standout saves by the VfL keeper in the first half. Mainz showed more attacking intent overall but struggled to create clear chances. In the 22nd minute, they were awarded a penalty after Souza caught Lee in the box – but Grabara guessed right and saved Tietz’s spot-kick. Though Wolfsburg lost some control after their opener, they defended diligently and relied on Grabara to keep them ahead. Just before the break, Vavro made a crucial goal-line clearance after a shot from Hollerbach (45’+4).

After the break, Mainz turned up the pressure. VfL attacks became rare, though Amoura did threaten again in the 67th minute, only for his pass to Pejcinovic to be blocked at the last moment. Increasingly, the Wolves struggled to deal with set pieces – and it was the eleventh Mainz corner that finally brought the equaliser (68’). Just five minutes later, another corner led to Bell stabbing home at the far post to complete the turnaround (73’). A second penalty for Mainz in the 84th minute, following a handball by Pejcinovic, sealed Wolfsburg’s fate. Amiri converted to make it 3-1, and the Wolves, who lacked sufficient resistance throughout, had no way back.

Goals

  • 0:1 Amoura (3’): That’s how to start a match! Kumbedi combines with Pejcinovic on the right and cuts it back into the area, where Amoura finishes cleverly with a backheel from close range.
     
  • 1:1 Tietz (68’): It had been coming: from the 11th corner of the match, Tietz rises highest and powers a header into the top corner – Grabara can’t keep it out this time.
     
  • 2:1 Bell (73’): The hosts ride their momentum and take the lead. Once again, it’s a corner that leads to the goal. Wolfsburg fail to clear, and Bell is on hand at the back post to poke it over the line.
     
  • 3:1 Amiri (84’, pen): And that’s that. After the ball strikes Pejcinovic’s hand in the box, the referee checks the monitor and awards the penalty. Amiri converts confidently into the bottom right corner.

Reactions

Daniel Bauer: "We can’t be satisfied with our performance today. And that’s despite getting off to a perfect start. There’s no better way to begin such a tough match than by scoring with your first attack. But after that, we became far too passive and allowed ourselves to be pushed back way too deep. That was never part of the plan. Thanks to Kamil and a bit of luck, we still managed to go into the break with the lead. After the restart, we had better control and were more aggressive in pressing the ball. But in possession, we had an absolutely terrible day. In the end, the key factor was that we didn’t take our few chances – especially the one before the 2-1. After that, we were completely overwhelmed by Mainz’s pressure."

Urs Fischer: "For us, it was the exact opposite. We had a very difficult start – conceding so early is tough mentally. But the team showed a great reaction and could have equalised even before halftime. The introduction of Nadiem Amiri helped a lot, and all three goals came from set-pieces in the end. The team kept pushing, showed real character, and ultimately got the reward they deserved."

Line-ups and Stats

1. FSV Mainz 05: Batz – Kohr, Bell, Posch – da Costa (65’ Mwene), Sano, Widmer, Nebel (65’ Amiri), Lee (90’+6 Böving) – Tietz (90’ Silas), Hollerbach (90’ Maloney)
Subs: Rieß (GK), Potulski, Kawasaki, Silas, Weiper

VfL Wolfsburg: Grabara – Kumbedi, Jenz, Vavro, Zehnter – Souza (75’ Majer), Gerhardt (85’ Svanberg), Eriksen (84’ Shiogai), Wimmer (75’ Lindström) – Pejcinovic, Amoura (66’ Daghim)
Subs: Müller (GK), Fischer, Angely, Bürger

Goals: 0:1 Amoura (3’), 1:1 Tietz (68’), 2:1 Bell (73’), 3:1 Amiri (84’, pen)

Yellow cards: Posch, Kohr, Bell / Wimmer, Souza

Special moment: Grabara saves penalty (22’, foul by Souza on Lee)

Referee: Daniel Siebert (Berlin)

Attendance: 30,000 at the Mewa Arena