The winless streaks persist for both VfL Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt as they played out a 2-2 draw at Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday afternoon. Despite an entertaining fixture and a brief resurgence of protests witnessed in German football in recent weeks, neither team achieved a wholly satisfactory result.
Eintracht Frankfurt, led by Dino Toppmöller, managed to salvage a draw against VfL Wolfsburg at the Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday afternoon. Despite falling behind twice against the visitors from Wolfsburg, the hosting Hessen club displayed resilience, equalizing on both occasions. While both sides can derive some positives from the result, it’s imperative for both Frankfurt (winless in six) and Wolfsburg (winless in seven) to find a way to start winning matches.
Coach Toppmöller made four changes to the starting XI from the team that exited Europe on Thursday. Philipp Max, Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe, and Hugo Ekitike were brought in to replace Niels Nkounkou, Mario Götze, and Fares Chaibi, respectively. An injury to midfield stalwart Ellyes Skhiri led to a midfield role for Manchester United loanee Donny van de Beek. Defender Tuta joined the Dutchman in midfield, while Max, Wilian Pacho, Robin Koch, and Aurelio Buta formed the back-four.
On the other side, VfL Wolfsburg coach Niko Kovac made just one change to the lineup that impressively held Dortmund to a draw in the previous league fixture. Yannick Gerhardt, the substitute who scored the equalizer against Dortmund, started over Matthias Svanberg in midfield. The team lined up in their familiar 4-4-2 formation.
The match commenced with great intensity as Wolfsburg defender Maxence Lacroix scored off a corner in the second minute, initiating a well-executed team goal. However, Eintracht Frankfurt responded strongly twelve minutes later, with Max initiating an attack down the left flank and ultimately assisting Ekitike for the equalizer. The first half continued with both teams displaying attacking intent, but it was Wolfsburg who regained the lead in the 36th minute through Kevin Behrens, after Jonas Wind’s impressive hold-up play and assist.
The second half witnessed a slowdown in tempo after Eintracht ultras threw projectiles onto the pitch, leading to interruptions and a loss of rhythm in the game. Despite this disruption, Frankfurt managed to find an equalizer in injury time when Timothy Chandler, who had been subbed on just moments earlier, assisted Omar Marmoush for the crucial goal. In the final minutes, Frankfurt pressed for a winner, but Wolfsburg’s defense, led by Lacroix, held firm to secure a point for their team.