VfL Wolfsburg slipped to a 3-0 defeat away to FC Augsburg on Sunday afternoon. Assistant coach Vincent Heilmann replaced head coach Florian Kohfeldt, who is isolating with coronavirus, in the dugout on Matchday 28 but could only watch on as Iago put the hosts ahead inside 60 seconds. Despite the early setback, the Wolves contributed to an open encounter in front of 23,143 fans at the WWK Arena – that is until midway through the second half, when Florian Niederlechner (62’) and Mads Pedersen (69’) clinched the win for Augsburg. The result leaves VfL in 13th place in the Bundesliga table.
Goals
1-0 Iago (1st minute): The Wolves fall behind with the first attack of the game. Pedersen’s back-heel releases Iago, who cuts into the penalty area from the left, sets himself up and fires an unstoppable strike past Pavao Pervan into the far corner.
2-0 Niederlechner (62nd minute): A corner from the right is flicked on towards the back post, where Niederlechner is on hand to double the hosts’ lead with an impressive close-range finish.
3-0 Pedersen (69th minute): Augsburg burst forward on the right and Niederlechner plays the ball inside to the unmarked Pedersen, who sends a well-placed effort into the left corner to complete the scoring.
Reaction
Jörg Schmadtke: “We didn’t start the game well and conceded a quick goal. After that we contributed to a more open game but not in the way we’d imagined. We wanted to be more solid defensively while putting more pressure on our opponents. The big difference, simply, was that we were inferior to Augsburg in both penalty areas. They deserved their win in that respect. We need to get our heads around the relegation battle, put up a greater fight and be more decisive in our actions. The way we support one another also needs to improve considerably.”
Markus Weinzierl: “We managed to implement a lot of what we’d discussed. We wanted to be courageous and pro-active and start the game with a very high intensity. We obviously got off to a good start with a wonderful goal before adding to our tally in the second half. Overall, I think we deserved to get the three points today.”
Line-ups and stats
FC Augsburg: Gikiewicz – Gumny, Gouweleeuw, Oxford, Iago – Maier (89‘ Moravek), Dorsch (46’ Gruezo), Caligiuri, Pedersen (72’ Zeqiri) – Niederlechner (81‘ Hahn), Pepi (89‘ Finnbogason)
Subs: Koubek (GK), Framberger, Winther, Günther
VfL Wolfsburg: Pervan – Lacroix, Bornauw (65’ Lukebakio), Brooks – Mbabu (75’ Baku), Schlager (75‘ Gerhardt), Arnold (75‘ Vranckx), Steffen – Wind, Kruse – L. Nmecha
Subs: Klinger (GK), F. Nmecha, Paredes, Philipp, Bialek
Goals: 1-0 Iago (1‘), 2-0 Niederlechner (62‘), 3-0 Pedersen (69‘)
Yellow cards: Dorsch / –
Referee: Sascha Stegemann (Niederkassel)
Attendance: 23,143 at WWK-Arena
