"Much, much more in it": Wolfsburg struggles with 0-0
Created: 01/15/2022Updated: 01/15/2022 7:41 p.m
Players from both teams stand and lie on the field after the final whistle.
© Swen Pförtner/dpa
This result does not help anyone.
The crisis clubs Wolfsburg and Hertha separate 0-0 on Saturday.
Both then quarreled not only with the result, but also with the referee.
Wolfsburg – After the final whistle, Florian Kohfeldt broke out briefly.
The coach of VfL Wolfsburg scolded, he quarreled.
With the 0-0 draw against Hertha BSC on Saturday, his team ended a series of eight defeats in a row.
The sporting problems both with the wolves and with the Berlin team, which is even weaker this time, have by no means been resolved.
"There was a lot of dissatisfaction in the dressing room," said Kohfeldt.
"Overall, we've taken a step forward in terms of performance, even if it hasn't yet been enough to liberate us."
His captain Koen Casteels was even clearer after the game: "The feeling is: there was much, much more in it.
We should have won this game," said the Belgian.
The fact that almost every Wolfsburg, but hardly any Berliner came to this conclusion was due to the one-sided course of the first half.
VfL missed several clear chances and felt robbed of a penalty after Jordan Torunarigha allegedly fouled Renato Steffen in the 39th minute.
"Well, he doesn't play the ball," said sports director Marcel Schäfer in a Sky interview.
"If I rate the pictures like this, it's a clear penalty."
However, it was similarly controversial that referee Robert Hartmann did not recognize a header goal by Berlin's Niklas Stark (43rd), because his teammate Jurgen Ekkelenkamp had just pushed Jerome Roussillon from Wolfsburg slightly.
"In ten cases something like that might be called back," said coach Tayfun Korkut.
His colleague Kohfeldt wholeheartedly agreed.
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Ultimately, however, both situations would not have been nearly as important if VfL had not been so careless with their chances to score.
In the 16th minute, Roussillon passed the ball into the penalty area from the left, where Luca Waldschmidt fired the ball almost free from the penalty spot over the goal.
Just two minutes later, Wout Weghorst was the receiver of a Roussillon cross, but his volley from just seven meters landed in the arms of Alexander Schwolow.
The Hertha goalkeeper also saved with just one arm in the 29th minute when Yannick Gerhardt ran towards him alone.
"We definitely deserved a goal - both from the way we played and from the mentality in this difficult situation," said Casteels.
"After the games we've played in the last few months, this point doesn't help us any further.
It's annoying that we didn't get three."
Hertha, which also started without Peter Pekarik (Covid-19) for a short time, remained surprisingly passive for a long time given the importance of this crisis duel.
Only in the second half did the Berliners come into play better.
This increase was only enough to keep Wolfsburg away from their own goal.
And not in order to play out your own clear options.
A turning shot by Marco Richter (73rd) brought Hertha the closest to 1-0.
"What we missed: We weren't consistent and determined enough," criticized Korkut.
And the next opponent will probably not let Hertha get away with something like that: It's city rivals 1. FC Union Berlin on Wednesday evening in the DFB Cup round of 16.
dpa
