Wolfsburg and Hamburg fought out a draw at the Volkswagen Arena, but both sides will rue the chances they missed.

An entertaining first half saw Hamburg take the lead before being pegged back by a controversial penalty decision.

Ivica Olic spurned two chances for the hosts before Pierre-Michel Lasogga fired Hamburg ahead against the run of play after 20 minutes. Hakan Calhanoglu hit the crossbar with a speculative costless kick, and the ball rebounded off Wolves keeper Diego Benaglio straight to the feet of Lasogga, who could not miss.

It was a setback for Dieter Hecking’s men, who had had the better of the opening stages. They immediately went in search of an equaliser, and almost found it as Ivan Perisic crossed low for Olic. However, the ball was behind him and he couldn’t turn it on target.

The game was becoming stretched and Lasogga had a glorious chance to double the visitors’ lead. Tolgay Arslan broke away down the left, leaving the entire Wolfsburg defence trailing, and squared for his teammate who somehow contrived to miss the target with only Benaglio to beat. It was a miss Hamburg would come to rue, as a minute later the hosts won a penalty. Caligiuri went down under a challenge from Westermann and the referee pointed to the spot. Television replays showed that the Wolves player had gone down easily, but Rodriguez slotted the penalty into the corner to square the match.

The half ended with Wolfsburg’s Maximilian Arnold booked for an aerial challenge on Lasogga. Replays showed the referee had made the right decision he had gone in with his arm raised.

Half time

The second half began as the first ended, with the game swinging from end to end. Straight from the restart, Arslan went close for Bert van Marwijk’s side before the lively Arnold tested Rene Adler with a low drive. Arslan was then booked for a dive in the Wolfsburg box. The referee made the correct decision, but the visitors will feel aggrieved that Wolfsburg were awarded a penalty for a similar challenge.

Daniel Caligiuri had a chance for the hosts but took the ball too wide, allowing the Hamburg defence to block his effort.

The dangerous Arslan continued to cause problems for the Wolfsburg defence and won a costless kick on the edge of the area. Calhanoglu’s effort was fiercely struck but Benaglio pulled off a wonderful save to deny the youngster. Minutes later he pulled off a double save from Lasogga, aided by Naldo who cleared off the line.

With four minutes of normal time remaining, Hamburg should have snatched all three points. Substitute Ivo Ilicevic, on for Maxi Beister, will rarely have an easier chance after Arslan laid the ball on, but he hit the crossbar from around ten yards out. That proved to be the final meaningful action of the match. Wolfsburg probably edged the contest, but both sides will be unhappy with the number of chances they squandered.

The result means Hamburg move into tenth place, level on points with Augsburg but with a superior goal difference. Meanwhile, Wolfsburg stay in fifth but will be overtaken by Schalke should the Royal Blues defeat Stuttgart on Saturday. In truth, a draw does not really help either side, and both managers know their charges can do better.

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About the author
Jamie Hall
Cycling editor and football writer. Currently studying sports journalism at university.