VfL Wolfsburg secured an important 3-1 home win against 1. FC Heidenheim on Saturday, climbing to third place in the 2. Bundesliga table. The perfect start was provided by Alexander Bernhardsson, who scored the fastest goal of the current season after just 34 seconds.
Bernhardsson's record strike, assisted by Vinicius de Souza Costa, gave Wolfsburg an early lead. The visitors from Heidenheim equalised in the 21st minute through Patrick Mainka. Tobias Strobl's team kept control and retook the lead before the break. In first-half stoppage time, Robert Glatzel scored to make it 2-1 following a pass from Joakim Maehle. It was his fifth goal of the season and the 99th of his career in the second division.
Decision Comes After the Break
Muhammed Damar sealed the victory in the 65th minute after being set up by Fabian Reese. Wolfsburg also looked secure in defence, not allowing any further major chances despite the visitors having slightly more shots (23 to 19). Goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther, making his competitive debut for VfL, delivered an assured performance. Manager Strobl praised him afterwards, saying, "Wellenreuther brings experience, calmness and presence in the box."
With this win, Wolfsburg moves up to fifth in the standings with twelve points from seven games. The team's recent form is solid, with three wins, one draw and one loss from their last five matches. Top scorer Robert Glatzel has already contributed four goals in six appearances. The next challenge comes on Friday evening at 18:30 with an away fixture against VfL Bochum at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion.
