VfL Wolfsburg – SC Freiburg 3:4 (1:1)
In a turbulent game, VfL Wolfsburg Lost 3:4 against SC Freiburg and missed the third win in a row.
Philipp Treu (5th minute), Vincenzo Grifo (56th/foul penalty) and Derry Scherhant (78th) scored for the guests, plus an own goal from Jenson Seelt (71st). Dženan Pejčinović (13th, 49th and 69th) scored his first three Bundesliga goals for Wolfsburg.
After the early goals in the first half, the action continued until the break – apart from a shot off the post by Freiburg’s Yuito Suzuki (27th). But after the break it became turbulent, the game went back and forth before Scherhant secured Freiburg’s victory. Wolfsburg is still unable to get out of the bottom third of the table. After the away win, Freiburg are in the middle of the table.
A good hour before the start of the game, Wolfsburg also announced personnel news: Daniel Bauer will be promoted from interim to head coach and will receive a contract until June 30, 2027, the club said in a statement. The previous U19 coach took over the Bundesliga team in mid-November.
Hamburger SV – Eintracht Frankfurt 1:1 (1:1)
The HSV and Eintracht Frankfurt separated in a draw. Albert Sambi Lokonga (19th) had given the Hamburg fans hope for their third home win in a row, Hugo Larsson (26th) equalized for Frankfurt shortly afterwards. However, Eintracht must improve next year if they are to qualify for the Champions League again.
A serious collision between Frankfurt’s Rasmus Kristensen and Hamburg’s Miro Muheim in the middle of the second half caused anxious seconds in Hamburg’s Volkspark Stadium. HSV defender Luka Vušković helped Kristensen, who was dazed on the ground. Both professionals then got up again.
On the Hamburg side, a number of regular players were missing, including captain Yussuf Poulsen, who was injured again, and winger Jean-Luc Dompé, while Jordan Torunarigha had to miss the game at short notice due to a bruised knee. At Eintracht, however, captain Robin Koch, who was injured during the week, returned to the starting line-up.
VfB Stuttgart – TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 0-0
The VfB Stuttgart missed the hoped-for victory in the narrow battle for a place in the Champions League. The Swabians only managed a 0-0 draw in the duel against TSG Hoffenheim and thus missed the goal of overtaking their direct rivals before the short winter break. Both teams will remain in the race for a place in the premier class in the new year.
In front of 59,000 spectators in the MHPArena, the first half was balanced but with few chances. It was only a few minutes before the half-time whistle that Hoffenheim’s goalkeeper Oliver Baumann was really challenged for the first time. Nikolas Nartey extended a cross from Jamie Leweling to Tiago Tomás, but Baumann parried. Fouls often interrupted the flow of the game, and both national rivals were attentive in defense.
Even after the break, the action initially only took place between the penalty areas. VfB keeper Alexander Nübel only had to intervene after just under an hour, but Albian Hajdari’s finish didn’t cause him any problems. In the middle of the second half, VfB increased the pressure and increasingly pushed for the lead. But despite a few chances from the hosts, Hoffenheim saved the draw.
1. FC Cologne – 1. FC Union Berlin 0:1 (0:0)
Union Berlin has further exacerbated 1. FC Köln’s negative streak. In a game that was weak for long stretches, the Berliners and their coach Steffen Baumgart won 1-0. András Schäfer (90+1), who had just been substituted, scored the goal for the Berliners, who played in the majority for the last few minutes after the red card against Rav van den Berg (83′). Cologne have been waiting for success for six games now, while Union are firmly in the top half of the table.
Chances like those of Jakub Kaminski (6th/23rd/25th) for FC and Union’s Woo-Yeong Jeong (12th) were rare for long stretches of the games. Both teams lacked ideas. It only became turbulent in Cologne in the final minutes. Van den Berg saw red because he was the last man to clear the ball illegally by hand. After handballs from Jakub Kamiński and Eric Martel, Union unsuccessfully asked for a penalty before Schäfer finally scored.
Two medical missions in the spectator stands also caused a stir. However, both patients were stabilized and transported to the hospital consciously, the FC said.
FC Augsburg – SV Werder Bremen 0-0
At the end of Manuel Baum’s time as interim coach, FC Augsburg missed out on a second win under his leadership. The Swabians only managed a 0-0 draw against Werder Bremen, which meant they had four points in the three games after parting ways with Sandro Wagner. With luck, Bremen (17 points) maintained their lead over FCA (14).
In long injury time, substitute Augsburg striker Phillip Tietz headed the ball onto the crossbar. Before that, a goal by Alexis Claude-Maurice was disallowed after a VAR check due to an alleged foul play in the making (80th). And a shot from substitute Elvis Rexhbecaj hit the post (76th).
After the winter break, Baum will be replaced by a new head coach. It is expected that the permanent successor to the quickly failed coach Sandro Wagner will be announced in Augsburg soon. As planned, Baum should return to his position as head of development and football innovation at FCA.
You can read our article about Friday’s Bundesliga game here.
Worth a look
