Just days after securing their playoff spot with a crucial 3-1 victory over Sankt Pauli, Wolfsburg faced a pivotal match at home that could determine their fate in the Bundesliga. Paderborn, meanwhile, arrived in high spirits after clinching third place in the 2.Bundesliga with a 2-0 win over Darmstadt and benefiting from Hannover’s slip-up against Nuremberg, which ended in a 3-3 draw. However, no winner emerged from this first leg, leaving everything to play for in the return match.
Early pressure from Paderborn
The visitors started strongly, displaying aggressive pressing and quick transitions. Paderborn nearly opened the scoring in the opening period from a corner, with Kamil Grabara forced into an impressive double save to deny them. But after this scare, Wolfsburg gradually took control, with their captain Christian Eriksen pulling the strings.
Wolfsburg’s dominance but lack of cutting edge
The home side dominated possession and created numerous chances but struggled to break down Paderborn’s resolute defensive block. At halftime, Wolfsburg boasted eight shots to Paderborn’s lone effort, and the second half saw them maintain relentless pressure with constant pressing and frequent incursions into the opposition’s penalty area.
Despite controlling 63% of possession and unleashing 15 shots on goal, Wolfsburg failed to find the net. Paderborn, reduced to ten men in stoppage time after Jonah Sticker’s red card, held firm to secure the goalless draw. A frustrating result for the Bundesliga side, who will now have to battle for survival in front of Paderborn’s home crowd on Monday evening (kickoff at 20:30).