SV Werder Bremen defeated VfL Wolfsburg 2:1 in the Bundesliga with two late goals. The visitors led for most of the match but collapsed in the final minutes. Coach Paul Simonis faces increasing pressure.
In the opening match of the Bundesliga's 10th matchday, SV Werder Bremen hosted VfL Wolfsburg on Friday evening, ending in a 2:1 victory for the home side (0:1). Mattias Svanberg put the visitors ahead in the 28th minute with his second goal of the season, initiating the attack himself.
Bremen dominated the first half, missing chances like Amos Pieper's (5th minute) and Marco Grüll's (17th minute), both saved by Wolfsburg goalkeeper Kamil Grabara. The guests countered effectively, with captain Maximilian Arnold (38th) and Christian Eriksen (40th) denied by Bremen's keeper Mio Backhaus.
After halftime, the hosts pressed harder, motivated by coach Ole Werner. Substitutions including Victor Boniface and Samuel Mbangula (65th minute) added momentum. Senne Lynen missed (75th), but Jens Stage (83rd) and Mbangula (90+4) turned the game with close-range strikes.
Wolfsburg suffered its sixth defeat, with just eight points after ten games, matching the negative record from 2012/13 and sitting 12th. Bremen extended its unbeaten run to five matches, climbing to seventh with 15 points. Before 40,500 spectators, the game was exciting but not top-class.
VfL captain Maximilian Arnold told Sky: "It's very, very bitter at the moment. It's not going in the right direction." Coach Paul Simonis, hired before the season, said: "We didn't deserve more. We just defended the whole time." He called it the toughest defeat of his career and expressed uncertainty about his future. Ahead of the international break, relegation looms for Wolfsburg.