VfL Wolfsburg lost the Europa League first leg against Shakhtar Donetsk with 1: 2. Under normal circumstances, that would be a bad but not hopeless starting point. But is there still a second leg in Ukraine?
Wolfsburg (dpa) - Oliver Glasner is an optimist. "We will fly to Kharkiv next week and do everything we can to turn this result around again," said VfL Wolfsburg coach after the 1-2 (0-1) defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk in the round of 16 of the Europa League .
Alone: Who will fly somewhere in the next week, whether the Europa League season will be played again, interrupted or completely canceled: Who wants to predict this reliably in times of the corona virus? Late Thursday evening, Wolfsburg experienced what it means to play football in such an exceptional situation. Because their game against Donetsk was also a ghost game, it took place without spectators. "It is our job to simply deliver. But of course you cannot hide it, it is always there," said midfielder Maximilian Arnold, referring to the great uncertainty after the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
His colleague Josip Brekalo even recognized one of the possible reasons why the Bundesliga club was at times so inferior to the Ukrainian series champion. "It's about life, there is a pandemic: it is clear that you cannot be 100 percent there in your head," said the Croatian. "Maybe that was an advantage for Shakhtar. There was war, they also had a bad situation. Maybe they were more used to it."
The Ukrainians, who started with seven Brazilians, led VfL for a half, but were only 1-0 up with a goal from Junior Moraes (16th). Both teams missed a penalty by Viktor Kowalenko (22nd) and Wout Weghorst (45th + 2th) before Wolfsburg came in their best phase by John Anthony Brooks to 1: 1 (49th). After the break, the footballers, who were far superior in terms of football, only had a clear chance of scoring, but made use of it through the only 19-year-old Marcos Antonio (73.).
"It's just like this: The further you get internationally, the better the opponents become and the more important the details become," said Glasner. "And Donetsk was better at these details."
How to proceed now? On Sunday (6:00 p.m. / Sky) at least one Bundesliga game is scheduled for FC Augsburg, on Tuesday the European association UEFA will then decide on the further course of the European Cup competitions. Whether it stays that way or whether current developments will catch up with these plans? "We have to accept that. There are more important things than football," said midfielder Yannick Gerhardt. Only one thing is certain for the Wolfsburgers: "I am already looking forward to the day when the fans will return," said Maximilian Arnold.
Homepage of the VfL Wolfsburg
The Europa League at uefa.com
VfL Wolfsburg's Europa League squad
VfL Wolfsburg's European Cup record
Game data
Shakhtar Donetsk's Europa League squad
Shakhtar Donetsk's homepage
