The footballers at TSG Hoffenheim have achieved the seemingly impossible: inflicted a home defeat on Wolfsburg. Since November 2016, VfL had remained unbeaten in the Bundesliga in their own stadium. After more than six years, this unbelievable series ends - despite an early lead.
The footballers at VfL Wolfsburg can still lose. The defending champion lost 1-2 (1-1) to TSG Hoffenheim on matchday 13 and suffered his first Bundesliga defeat since October 2021 - at that time also against TSG. Thus, pursuer Bayern Munich can reduce the gap to two points on Sunday (4 p.m. / MagentaSport) with a win at Werder Bremen. In their own stadium, it was even the first defeat in more than six years: In November 2016, 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam won in Lower Saxony, since then VfL had remained unbeaten in the league at home.
"It was fundamentally just not enough, both defensively and offensively," criticized VfL captain Alexandra Popp at MagentaSport: "Maybe it's a damper at the right time. You can see: If you don't give 100 percent, a game will end like this."
National player Jule Brand had even taken care of the lightning lead of the wolves against her ex-club. The 20-year-old scored in the first minute after a pass from Sveindis Jonsdottir. An own goal by Felicitas Rauch made Hoffenheim celebrate in the 44th minute. TSG attacker Sarai Linder successfully pressed the defender, who then maneuvered the ball over the line. A few minutes earlier, VfL central defender Marina Hegering had been replaced due to injury.
Wolfsburg showed an offensive performance that was not very convincing, and a double change after about an hour did little to change that. Instead, the visiting team kept showing good approaches, but Melissa Kössler only hit the right post in the 62nd minute. In the 70th minute it was an outstanding counterattack that resulted in the winning goal: Kössler sent Nicole Billa on the journey, the Austrian kept her nerves in the duel with the German national goalkeeper Merle Frohms and completed the 2-1 for Hoffenheim.
In the race for the Champions League, TSG is now three points behind Eintracht Frankfurt, who are third in the table and opened the matchday with a 4-1 win against SC Freiburg. FC Bayern, on the other hand, could make the championship race exciting again with a win in Bremen, after Wolfsburg did not win for the first time this Bundesliga season.
