VfL Wolfsburg celebrated a convincing 5-1 home victory over SV Darmstadt 98 on Friday. Under manager Ralph Hasenhüttl, the team delivered a powerful attacking display, securing their third win of the season and climbing to fifth place in the 2. Bundesliga. This third win in their last four matches continues Wolfsburg's positive form, giving them eight points in total.
How the match unfolded
Alexander Bernhardsson put the Wolves ahead early, scoring in the 14th minute after a perfect pass from Fabian Reese. Darmstadt surprisingly equalised through Milan Smit in the 29th minute, but Robert Glatzel restored the lead just before halftime with his first goal of the day. Wolfsburg continued to press after the break. Bernhardsson netted his second of the match in the 61st minute, again assisted by Reese. Just five minutes later, Muhammed Damar made it 4-1. Glatzel completed the emphatic performance with his second goal in the 79th minute.
The statistics reflected the home side's clear dominance. Wolfsburg enjoyed 64 percent possession and took 19 shots, with six on target. Darmstadt managed only three shots on goal. The match was fiercely contested, with a total of five yellow cards shown, three to Wolfsburg and two to the visitors.
Looking ahead to Nürnberg
With this win, VfL Wolfsburg collected their eighth point and now sit just seven points behind league leaders Hertha BSC. Top scorer Fabian Reese, who has three goals this season, provided three assists against Darmstadt.
The next challenge is an away fixture against 1. FC Nürnberg on October 10th. Facing the current second-placed team promises a tough test.
Muhammed Damar scored his first goal for Wolfsburg in the 5-1 win over Darmstadt. The 22-year-old was subsequently not called up by U21 national team coach Antonio Di Salvo for the upcoming internationals. "I had hoped to be involved," said Damar. His coach Tobias Strobl stressed that with further goal contributions, Damar would be impossible to overlook in future. Wolfsburg are fourth with 11 points, four points behind leaders Hertha BSC.
