VfL Wolfsburg coach Tobias Strobl faces a financial penalty for celebrating too early during the team's dramatic DFB-Pokal win. The Bundesliga side narrowly advanced to the second round on Monday evening, beating fourth-tier VSG Altglienicke 6-5 in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw following 120 minutes. The 38-year-old manager celebrated when Altglienicke's Mehmet Ibrahimi (23) missed his spot-kick, forgetting that Wolfsburg's Kilian Fischer (25) still had to take and score his penalty.
Strobl will determine the fine amount himself and pay it into the team's kitty. “It will be something for the team fund for the premature victory celebration. I simply thought we had won,” Strobl said. His early celebration was even riskier because, according to captain Maximilian Arnold (32), Fischer wasn't originally scheduled to take a penalty. “Kili actually wasn't even up. Then he suddenly stepped up and was so focused, and we knew he would put it in now,” Arnold stated. Bence Dardai was likely supposed to take it instead.
The shootout was full of twists. Besides Ibrahimi's miss for Altglienicke, Wolfsburg's Fabian Reese (28) also failed to convert an attempt. Coach Strobl did not criticise Reese for his miss. Instead, he showed understanding and referenced his own experiences with penalties in the Kreisliga, Germany's lower amateur leagues. He even admitted that he himself would not have dared to take a penalty in such a high-pressure situation. Wolfsburg's internal fine catalogue apparently did not anticipate a case of a coach celebrating prematurely, which is why Strobl now gets to set the penalty amount.
The narrow victory against the amateur club keeps Wolfsburg in the DFB-Pokal but offers little reason for complacency. The team finished the previous 2025 Bundesliga season in 17th place with just 21 points from 29 games. A record of five wins, six draws, and 18 defeats, coupled with a goal difference of minus 26 (39 goals scored, 65 conceded), highlights the sporting issues. In the final table, VfL trailed champions Bayern Munich by a massive 55 points. The cup therefore remains an important competition to generate positive momentum for the new campaign, which is about to start. The current squad overview shows the roster tasked with this challenge.
After surviving this cup scare, the focus must now shift to the upcoming Bundesliga season. The recent form from last season, which ended with a series of defeats (LLLDL), urgently needs to be overcome. Those in charge, including coach Strobl, will analyse the performance against Altglienicke in detail to address weaknesses. Any further cup success could build the much-needed confidence. Fans can follow the club's upcoming fixtures on our fixtures page. The coming weeks will show if the club has learned the lessons from last season's disappointing campaign and can make a better start in the new year.
