Hertha BSC defeated VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 in the 2. Bundesliga on Saturday, extending their unbeaten run to 11 games and widening their lead at the top of the table to 12 points, sportschau.de reported.
The game turned in the 22nd minute when Wolfsburg defender Cleiton was sent off for a last-man foul on Sebastian Grönning. Referee Matthias Jöllenbeck initially awarded a penalty but a video review showed the foul occurred just outside the penalty area, resulting in a free-kick and a red card for Cleiton.
Oluwaseun Adewumi opened the scoring in the 44th minute, and Deyovaisio Zeefuik made it 2-0 two minutes later. Wolfsburg pulled a goal back through Kento Shiogai in the 47th minute but could not find an equalizer.
Wolfsburg’s Hauke Wahl said they would have deserved more even with a man less, and coach Tobias Strobl spoke of a clear penalty. “A clear penalty,” Strobl told sportschau.de, “it had to be given.” Hertha coach Stefan Leitl disagreed with the assessment, calling the referee’s decision correct.
The match was marked by the return of former Hertha captain Fabian Reese, who now plays for Wolfsburg. Reese, who transferred for eight million euros last summer, was relentlessly booed by the 70,928 spectators at the Olympiastadium, receiving jeers at every touch of the ball.
As Hertha’s substitutes celebrated their second goal, Reese was seen with his hands on his knees, briefly sticking out his tongue in a moment of visible anger, according to the Tagesspiegel.
“I am still speechless about what happened today,” she wrote on Instagram. “It has simply crossed every boundary for us as a family. And for those who now say ‘you are to blame,’ maybe they should ask how much humanity is left,” the Welt reported.
“Fabi handled it very professionally,” said captain Maximilian Arnold. “I didn’t get the feeling that it affected him that much.” Coach Strobl also praised Reese’s performance, calling it “engaged and successful.”
Reese almost made an immediate impact, hitting the crossbar with a shot from 18 meters just 139 seconds into the game. Wolfsburg, playing with 10 men, remained a threat. Shiogai's goal gave them hope, and Sael Kumbedi cleared the ball late in the game to preserve the lead.
The Tagesspiegel noted that after halftime, the game ceased to be about Wolfsburg’s attack and became a contest focused on silencing the crowd and finding another goal.
🇩🇪Regular Season 2. Bundesliga: Hertha BSC vs VfL Wolfsburg 1. Starting Lineups: Hertha BSC: 4-2-3-1 Julian Eitschberger, Josip Brekalo, Kevin Sessa, Sebastian Gronning, Oluwaseun Adewumi, Mads Pedersen, Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson, Niklas Kolbe, Paul Seguin, Marius Gersbeck,… pic.twitter.com/gQ7UDaOoOl
Following the international break, Hertha BSC will travel to face Energie Cottbus on Sunday, November 22, at 13:30 local time. VfL Wolfsburg will host Holstein Kiel the day before, on Saturday, November 21, at 13:00 local time, as both teams look to build on their respective campaigns.
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