15th matchday
Wolfsburg and Kovac breathe a sigh of relief after victory in Darmstadt
VfL Wolfsburg earned three points in Darmstadt despite being outnumbered early on. photo
© Uwe Anspach/dpa
Wolfsburg wins when they are outnumbered at the Darmstadt Böllenfalltor. In this form, however, the Kovac team should have few chances at the end of the year against Bayern Munich.
Croatian Lovro Majer scored the goal in the 63rd minute. However, in front of 16,900 spectators at the Böllenfalltor, the Lower Saxony team had little to think of against the weakened newcomer. In addition, Maxence Lacroix saw red for an emergency brake after less than half an hour.
After only one win from the last eight league games, the former European Cup candidate can go into the last game of the year against FC Bayern on Wednesday a little more courageously. Darmstadt, bottom of the table, has been without a three-pointer for eight games.
Protest from the fans
As in other stadiums, fans protested with banners and chanted insults against the investment of investors in the German Football League. In addition, the game was interrupted for a few minutes after a quarter of an hour by referee Robert Hartmann because Wolfsburg fans were setting off pyrotechnics in their block.
The Darmstadt team tried with passion and discipline to defy their many failures. “We are in the final whistle. But as long as we can still whistle, we are still alive,” coach Torsten Lieberknecht said before the game. The Lilies’ last win came on October 7th with a 2-1 win in Augsburg, and this time too they suffered a frustrating setback.
Lieberknecht’s colleague Kovac of course knew how serious the situation was. “At the moment everything is going in the wrong direction. I know too. We have to. I have to,” he said before kick-off on the TV channel Sky. Even though managing director Marcel Schäfer and supervisory board boss Frank Witter had recently supported their head coach.
Early expulsion
For a long time, the home team had little trouble stopping their opponent’s rather timid attacks. The fact that not only the suspended captain Maximilian Arnold was missing, but Lacroix was also sent off early (27′) played into the Lilies’ cards. The Frenchman was the last man to foul Luca Pfeiffer. It was the most exciting scene in a disjointed first half.
After the break, Riedle Baku suddenly released Majer with a fine through ball, but the 25-year-old missed the great chance to take the lead. Goal scorer Jonas Wind tried from the halfway line and just missed the hosts’ goal. Then, thanks to Wind’s preparatory work, Majer was there and made it 1-0 with a low shot. VfL keeper Koen Casteels saved his team’s three points with a brilliant performance against Pfeiffer in the final phase.