Wolves pegged back in Freiburg

VfL Wolfsburg took the lead three times away to SC Freiburg on Saturday, but were forced to settle for a point in an entertaining, if frustrating, 3-3 draw.

Jérôme Roussillon got Bruno Labbadia's side off to the perfect start in the 11th minute with the team's earliest second goal of the season – and his second of the campaign – but despite the Wolves' first-half dominance, the sides went into the break on level terms after Vincenzo Grifo's equaliser. Wout Weghorst restored VfL's advantage in an eventful second half, only for Nils Petersen to level the score again for the hosts. Renato Steffen looked to have sealed the points for Wolfsburg in the closing stages, but Freiburg substitute Luca Waldschmidt had the final say to ensure the points were shared.

Guilavogui and William return

VfL captain Josuha Guilavogui made his first competitive start of 2019 after recovering from injury, while William was also back in the side after sitting out the last two games. Elvis Rexhbecaj and Paul Verhaegh dropped to the bench as a result. Further forward, Josip Brekalo got the nod ahead of Yunus Malli to start alongside Weghorst and Steffen in attack.

Roussillon breaks the deadlock

The Wolves began brightly at the Schwarzwald-Stadion and after an initial period of sparring against their compact hosts, took an early lead when Roussillon collected Brekalo's pass from the left and finished smartly at the near post. The Green-Whites were firmly in control, with Koen Casteels largely a spectator for the opening 45 minutes, but Freiburg still managed to score against the run of play shortly before the interval. Florian Niederlechner nicked the ball off John Brooks' toe on the edge of the VfL penalty area and teed up Grifo, who slotted in from 12 yards.

Weghorst strikes again

The Wolves emerged with renewed vigour after the break and although Freiburg initially weathered the storm, Weghorst got the goal VfL deserved with a well-taken penalty after he was fouled by Robin Koch. The lead was short-lived, though, as Petersen brought the hosts back into the game with a near-post header following a corner as the sides began to trade blows. VfL looked to have taken all three points when Steffen found the net after a superb back-heeled assist from Weghorst, but there was more drama to come when Waldschmidt restored parity once again. Freiburg almost snatched the unlikeliest of victories when Philipp Lienhart scored deep into stoppage time, but VAR ruled it out for offside, leaving both teams with a point.

SC Freiburg: Schwolow – Kübler, Lienhart, Heintz, Günter – Haberer, Koch – Frantz (Waldschmidt 69'), Grifo (Terrazzino 90+6') – Petersen, Niederlechner (Höler 81')

VfL Wolfsburg: Casteels – William, Knoche, Brooks, Roussillon – Guilavogui – Gerhardt, Arnold – Steffen (Rexhbecaj 79'), Weghorst (Klaus 90+2'), Brekalo (Uduokhai 90+5')

Goals: Roussillon (11'), Grifo (37'), Weghorst (pen. 63), Petersen (70'), Steffen (74'), Waldschmidt (88')

Yellow cards: Niederlechner, Haberer, Koch / Guilavogui, William

Attendance: 23,000

Referee: Dr. Felix Brych (Munich)