Saglik Rescues Draw For Wolfsburg
VfL Bochum 2-2 VfL Wolfsburg
A pretty dire first half was rescued in the second period as Bochum and Wolfsburg shared four goals at the Rewirpower Stadion on Sunday.
After a slow and choppy first half, the match in Bochum intensified greatly. Goals from Bochum's Stanislav Sestak (12') and Christoph Dabrowski (50') were answered by strikes from Wolfsburg's Ricardo Costa (51') and Mahir Saglik (69'), as the visitors were able to overcome a 2-0 deficit.
Both teams squandered several opportunities to win the match, however, and may be somewhat disappointed with the final result of a hard-fought match that ended with 44 fouls and 7 yellow cards.
FIRST HALF
The first half was rather disappointing to watch, as the flow of play was repeatedly interrupted and neither team was able to find its rhythm. In the first half alone, Bochum committed 11 fouls to Wolfsburg's 9, making the match as continuous as a game of musical chairs.
The slow flow of play did, however, play into the hands of the home side, who tried to use sudden flashes of good play to their advantage. After just 6 minutes, Bochum midfielder Paul Freier found space to run into the left side of the penalty area. His left-footed shot was saved however by Wolfsburg keeper Diego Benaglio.
After a relatively benign 6 minutes, Bochum midfielder Daniel Imhof played a one-two into open space and played a perfect through-ball forward to striker Stanislav Sestak. Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio charged, but had no chance of saving Sestak's shot from just outside the penalty area.
Apart from a long range, Cristian Zaccardo shot that Bochum keeper Daniel Fernandes saved, there were no more serious threats on either goal. This is not to say that there were no reasonable opportunities: to the contrary, there were several for both sides.
However, due to poor passing and/or miscommunication, most half-chances failed to materialize: in the first half, each team took just two shots from inside the 18 yard box.
SECOND HALF
In spite of there being even more fouls in the second half (11 for Bochum and 13 for Wolfsburg) than in the first, the second was by far the most exciting period.
Bochum doubled their advantage on 50 minutes as Christoph Dabrowski headed home Mimoun Azaouagh's cross from close range. This goal however seemed to light a fire under the feet of the Wolfsburg team, as Felix Magath's men only allowed three more shots for the rest of the match while taking eleven of their own.
Immediately after the restart, Wolfsburg pressed forward to bring the game back within reach. Fernandes did a poor job of blocking Wolfsburg substitute Mahir Saglik's shot, sending it to the center of the 6-yard box for Ricardo Costa to tap into the goal.
Bochum did their best to respond immediately as Sestak missed a close chance just after the restart, and Marcel Maltritz' free header sailed just over the cross bar following an Azaouagh free kick on 57 minutes.
The home side would later rue their missed opportunities, however, as Wolfsburg finally found their composure. In the 62nd minute, Zvejezdan Misimovic nearly reached a loose ball ahead of Fernandes, but was just a moment late and was penalized.
In the 69th minute, Bochum centre-back Matias Concha found himself with the ball in the position of a left fullback. His clearance was abysmal, falling short and straight towards Saglik. Saglik passed and raced towards the centre, receiving a perfect ball from Misimovic just before scoring the equalizer.
Wolfsburg continued to press, and nearly found the winning goal on 74 minutes. A cross saw Fernandes come off his line only to lose the ball in the center of the penalty area. Saglik did well to recover the ball, but his shot was blocked and recovered by Fernandes.
At the other end, a foul by Costa set up a perfect free kick opportunity from just outside the penalty area and slightly to the left. Azaouagh was unable to convert, missing wide to the left.
As the match drew near its end, Wolfsburg pressed forward and should have scored the winner. A free header from Saglik flew wide, and a first-touch shot from substitute Edin Dzeko went straight into Fernandes' hands.
In the midst of Wolfsburg's pressure, Bochum did manage to come close twice before the final whistle. A free kick saw Mergim Mavraj open in the box, but the former German U-21 defender completely missed the ball.
Finally, in the 90th minute, Azaouagh's shot was deflected, leaving a foot race for the ball that Mavraj won as he stretched to strike the ball past Benaglio. Mavraj was judged to have been offside, however, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
Goals
1-0 Sestak (11')
2-0 Dabrowski (50')
2-1 Costa (52')
2-2 Saglik (69’)
Bochum: Fernandes, Concha (Mavraj, 84'), Maltritz, Yahia, Fuchs, Imhof, Azaouagh, Dabrowski (Dzebel, 79'), Freier (Kaloglu, 79'), Hashemian, Sestak
Wolfsburg: Benaglio, Schaefer, Barzagli, Costa, Zaccardo (Saglik, 45'), Riether, Gentner, Josue, Santana (Dzeko, 65'), Dejagah (Hasebe, 81'), Misimovic
Yellow Cards:
Dabrowski (54') Azaouagh (89') / Misimovic (5'), Dejagah (20'), Josue (25'), Saglik (64'), Costa (76')
12′ [1 - 0] S. Sestak
50′ [2 - 0] C. Dabrowski
52′ [2 - 1] R. Costa
69′ [2 - 2] M. Saglik
12′ [1 - 0] S. Sestak
50′ [2 - 0] C. Dabrowski
52′ [2 - 1] R. Costa
69′ [2 - 2] M. Saglik
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