The hour of opportunity was at least partially seized: After months of decline, VfL Wolfsburg can once again be more hopeful of staying in the Bundesliga.
Although the Lower Saxons failed to secure a win after taking the lead, they at least managed a 1-1 (0-0) draw at SC Freiburg on the third-to-last matchday. Thanks to the draw, VfL climbed out of the relegation zone, moving past FC St. Pauli to the relegation playoff spot after eight rounds – level on points with their final opponent from Hamburg.
Konstantinos Koulierakis (55′) scored for Wolfsburg, who will face champions Bayern Munich in their next match. Freiburg suffered a setback in their race for European qualification, despite Philipp Lienhart’s goal (75′). The SC still holds the coveted seventh place, one point ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt. On Thursday, the Breisgau team aims to reach the Europa League final for the first time in club history. SC must overcome a 1-2 deficit from the first leg against Portuguese side Sporting Braga in their semi-final second leg.
«Freiburg has a first-class team. We’re facing real quality. We have to do something ourselves for the game,» said VfL coach Dieter Hecking shortly before his 450th Bundesliga game as a coach on DAZN: «It’s not just a number, I’m proud of it. It speaks well of someone that they’ve done many things right in their career.»
Wolfsburg, who will have to do without their injured captain Maximilian Arnold until the end of the season, came close to taking the lead as early as the 9th minute. Captain’s representative Christian Eriksen hit the post. Six minutes later, Dzenan Pejcinovic had a chance to score for VfL.
SC Freiburg appears tired amidst European Cup weeks
Not much happened after that. Freiburg, who had to do without Patrick Osterhage and Max Rosenfelder, seemed quite tired amidst their European Cup exertions. The visitors also offered little. It turned into a dull affair until halftime.
At the start of the second half, Wolfsburg became more active again. Hecking’s team aimed for early ball wins, and the Freiburg defense did not always appear solid. In the 51st minute, VfL attacker Adam Daghim was denied by Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu. A lead for Wolfsburg seemed imminent in this phase, with SC being far too passive. After just under an hour, it happened: following an Eriksen corner, the Greek Koulierakis headed home.
Only after falling behind did Freiburg wake up and increase the tempo. While the Wolves remained more dangerous, the equalizer was scored by substitute Austrian Lienhart with a header for Freiburg.
SC Freiburg vs. VfL Wolfsburg 1:1 (0:0) — Match Data
| Match | SC Freiburg vs. VfL Wolfsburg |
| Result | 1:1 (0:0) |
| Goals | 0:1 Koulierakis (55′), 1:1 Lienhart (75′) |
| Competition | Bundesliga, Matchday 32 |
| Attendance | 32,500 |