Wolfsburg and Kaiserslautern split points in opening 2. Bundesliga Topspiel

VfL Wolfsburg’s eighty-second season sees them in the second division of German football for the first time since 1996 / 97 - also making this season the first since that point that there will be no Niedersachsen club in the Bundesliga. Die Wölfe were relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in their 81-year history, after losing the relegation playoff to SC Paderborn 07 back in May (0-0, 1-2 AET). Since then, they have made numerous transfers in and out of the club, and with a new-look squad - under a new coach in Tobias Strobl - they begin their quest to return back to the top level.

In that 1996 / 97 season, the team that was promoted alongside Wolfsburg was 1. FC Kaiserslautern, coincidentally their opponents for this match. A side that has not made the Bundesliga since 2011 / 12, they finished 10 points out of the promotion playoff spot at the end of last season, with a 16-4-14 record and 52 points. 53-year-old Torsten Lieberknecht, an academy graduate who was part of Wolfsburg’s Niedersachsen rivals Eintracht Braunschweig in the second half of his playing days, enters his third season at the helm of the club - looking to bring them back to the top tier of German football just five years after the club was in 3. Liga.

The hosts, in green, kicked off the match and would go left to right in the opening term - but the first chance of the Topspiel would end up going to the visitors. In the fifth minute, Naatan Skyttä nearly took full advantage of a passing error from Hauke Wahl inside the box - but the 24-year-old Finnish attacking midfielder was denied by a charging Jakub Zieliński, making his debut in the Wolfsburg net after promotion from the U19 squad.

The first chance for Strobl’s Wolfsburg came six minutes in, as a cross from Saël Kumbedi would find its way into the centre of the box. Elvis Rexhbeçaj nearly met it with a header, but could not get enough of the ball and it skipped out for a goal kick to the visitors, which Julian Krahl would send long. It eventually found its way back into the Kaiserslautern half and landed at the feet of Vinícius Souza, whose ensuing attempt rolled well to the left.

After a seven-minute period where neither side could get close to the box, Jacob Rasmussen would create space for himself on the left side of the Wolfsburg third, at the edge of the box. His cross towards the right side of the area would be immediately headed towards the top-right corner by Simon Asta, in open space - but the direction of the hit was not ideal, sent well out of play. Two minutes later, Wolfsburg would respond with a quality scoring opportunity of their own, as Muhammed Damar, recently signed from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, took a pass from Fabian Reese to the edge of the box; he followed with a right-footed shot, directed just wide of the bottom-left corner.

Reese would get a 1v1 chance inside the box in the minutes that followed, but it was deemed offside on the through ball from Damar. Krahl tipped the ball out of play, and would then go down in apparent pain, clutching his left hand. This prompted Lieberknecht to send Yannick Onohiol to warm up on the sidelines, but the 21-year-old goalkeeper would not need to enter - as following a consultation with the medical staff, it was determined that Krahl would continue.

In the twenty-third minute, Reese would get his first notable chance of the evening, going for a longshot that was deflected behind the net by Krahl for an eventually unsuccessful corner for the hosts. Damar would take a similar attempt at the half-hour mark, this time aiming for the top-right corner, but Krahl’s acrobatic stop forced a corner to the hosts. The following set piece was swung near-post by Hauke Wahl, but Jan Elvedi would meet it with a perfectly-timed header to clear; at the same time, Reese pulled the jersey of Maxwell Gyamfi, sending the Dortmund-born centre-back to the ground and ending the play.

In the thirty-fourth minute, Reese progressed the ball with a brilliant run in the centre of the Kaiserslautern half, knocking a short pass to Damar. Damar would connect a string of passes with Rexhbeçaj before launching a shot of his own, deflecting off the right leg of Gyamfi and off the side netting for an eventually cleared corner.

Four minutes later, following another set piece to the hosts that was cleared to the edge of the box, Rexhbeçaj lifted the ball in the direction of Angély, who in turn headed the ball to Wahl. The recent signing from FC St. Pauli followed by powering a half-volley off the outside of the left post and away from danger. The 19-year-old French centre-back would follow with a left-footed shot of his own just before halftime, skied over the bar for a goal kick to the visitors.

Florian Exner would call time on a scoreless first half at Volkswagen Arena. Shots in the opening term finished 6-3 to Wolfsburg, 5-1 on target with 60 % possession and an 85 % accuracy on 318 passes, compared to 73 % on 165.

Mërgim Berisha kicked off the second half for the visitors, punting the ball into the right side of the Wolfsburg third. On the following counterattack, Rexhbeçaj would find space on the right side of the ground, splitting between Rasmussen, Mika Haas, and Semih Şahin before rolling a right-footed shot just wide of Krahl.

In the forty-ninth minute, Reese delivered a near-post cross, cleared to the edge of the box by a powerful header from Rasmussen. The ball landed back in front of the 28-year-old striker, whose delivery was met by Wahl; the 32-year-old centre-back from Hamburg then flicked a header towards Hornby, but the Scotsman’s ensuing attempt went just wide of the top-left corner.

Kaiserslautern’s first opportunity of the second half was a dangerous one in the fifty-seventh minute, as Asta flicked the ball from the right side of the midfield into completely open space in the centre of the Wolfsburg half. Fortunately for the visitors, it landed into the path of Skyttä, who sprung into a 1-on-1; before Rexhbeçaj could knock the ball away with a sliding tackle, the Finnish attacking midfielder direct a left-footed shot towards the bottom-left corner, turned aside by a diving Zieliński.

The visitors would get another opportunity in the seventieth minute, as substitute Ibrahim Kanaté weaved his way into the left side of the box before powering a curling attempt towards the bottom-right corner. Zieliński reached out to knock the ball away with both gloves, allowing the ball to roll out of play for a corner to the visitors - one that was quickly headed away by Wahl. Berisha himself would launch a half-volley towards the top-right corner just four minutes later, but it missed the lunging Polish goalkeeper and went off the side netting.

Kaiserslautern would generate one last opportunity inside the box in the eighty-seventh minute, as a far-post corner from Asta was powered towards the bottom-right corner by substitute Leon Robinson. Zieliński did not have enough time to cover the space, but it did not matter in the end - as the ball flew wide for a goal kick to the hosts.

In the last of four minutes of second half stoppage time, Reese gathered the ball from substitute Kento Shiogai at the edge of the box, and lobbed the ball into the path of substitute Alessio Besio. Unfortunately for Wolfsburg, the Swiss-Spanish forward could not get enough of the following volley, deflecting the ball right into the hands of Krahl. The full-time whistle would come soon after, with Wolfsburg and Kaiserslautern splitting the points in a goalless draw.

In next week’s Topspiel, 1. FC Kaiserslautern will play their first home match of the season against Karlsruher SC, with kickoff set for next Saturday at 20:30 (CET). As for VfL Wolfsburg, they will play in the first of four Niedersachsen derbies, visiting Hannover 96 at HDI-Arena next Sunday - with kickoff set for 13:30 (CET).