VfL Wolfsburg have won their first competitive game of the 2023/24 campaign, beating Makkabi Berlin 6-0 in the first round of the DFB Cup on Sunday afternoon. Tiago Tomas scored twice for Niko Kovac’s side (54’, 89’), while Lukas Nmecha (8’), Jonas Wind (9), Yannick Gerhardt (57’) and Ridle Baku (79’) were also on target in front of a capacity 5,000-crowd at the Mommsenstadion to send VfL through to the second round, which will take place on 31 October and 1 November.
Goals
- 0-1 Nmecha (8’): Wind latches on to a precise pass and strikes the post with a low shot. Nmecha is first to the rebound and finishes from close range.
- 0-2 Wind (9’): The Makkabi goalkeeper holds on to the ball too long and Wind, lurking nearby, takes full advantage, robbing him of the ball and doubling VfL’s lead.
- 0-3 Tomas (54’): Tomas combines with another new signing, Vaclav Cerny, to make it 3-0. A wonderful Cerny cross finds the Portuguese, who keeps his composure to net his first of the afternoon.
- 0-4 Gerhardt (57’): Tomas does brilliantly to find Gerhardt, who gives the Makkabi keeper no chance with a superb lob.
- 0-5 Baku (79’): Tomas is also the architect of the Wolves’ fifth of the game as he feeds Baku with a raking pass. The latter’s low finish creeps inside the near post.
- 0-6 Tomas (89’): Wimmer and Wind combine to play in Tomas, who is left with a simple finish from close range.
The coaches’ reaction
Niko Kovac: “I think we did a good job. It was a bit more difficult than we expected it to be in the first half. The pitch was dry and stodgy but Maccabi defended well too, although our opponents did fade a bit in the second half. I’m pretty satisfied with my team overall, but I also have to give credit to Wolfgang Sandhowe for his team’s efforts.”
Wolfgang Sandhowe: “We did well to hold our own in the first half. The first 10 minutes were rubbish, particularly as the two goals were pretty much own goals. We played well after that but didn’t create any clear-cut chances – although technically we pulled a goal back because [Voahariniaina’s goal] wasn’t offside. We don’t want to sound presumptuous, though. We ran out of steam in the end. Wolfsburg outfoxed us a couple of times and deserved to win.”
Line-ups and stats
TuS Makkabi Berlin: Krause – Richter, Stahl (83‘ Sandhowe), Körber, Häußler – Bruck, Conteh (84‘ Soltanpour), Tokgöz (59‘ Cheung), Petnga (59‘ Barry), Özcin (61‘ Henrique) – Voahariniaina
Subs: Samake (GK), Oingani, Matkovic, Diop
VfL Wolfsburg: Casteels – Maehle, Lacroix, Zesiger, Rogerio (69‘ Cozza) – Svanberg (46‘ Arnold), Gerhardt, Cerny (60‘ Baku), Kaminski (60’ Wimmer) – Wind, Nmecha (43’ Tomas)
Subs: Schulze (GK), Jenz, Vranckx, Pejcinovic
Goals: 0-1 Nmecha (8’), 0-2 Wind (9’), 0-3 Tomas (53’), 0-4 Gerhardt (57’), 0-5 Baku (79’), 0-6 Tomas (89’)
Yellow cards: Stahl, Bruck / Maehle, Wind
Referee: Riem Hussein (Bad Harzburg)
Attendance: 5,000 at Mommsenstadion (sold out)
