VfL Wolfsburg secured a deserved three points against a Werder Bremen side that never really turned up on Saturday afternoon.

Strong start for the hosts

The warning signs were there from the beginning as Vieirinha's run, dribble and shot forced Felix Wiedwald into an excellent save early on, throwing a hand up to pull it away from the top corner. That was only momentary respite for the visitors, as they were soon behind.

Vieirinha was popping up everywhere and he managed to slip Christian Träsch through into the penalty box. The right-back attempted to slide the ball across to Bas Dost, but Alejandro Galvez was in the way. Unfortunately for the defender, he couldn't direct the ball away from his own goal and only succeeded in putting it past Wiedwald.

Anthony Ujah tried to respond immediately, but the tight angle and Diego Benaglio was enough to prevent him from scoring. Dost should have had a goal of his own but somehow managed to head over the bar while unmarked and just six yards from goal. Luiz Gustavo showed his striker how it was done, only to see his header hit the post.

Gustavo was soon taken off with an injury and replaced by Joshua Guilvagoui. That sparked a mini revival from Werder, who finally forced Benaglio into a meaningful save. Fin Bartels' long-range effort brought a sprawling stop from the Swiss stopper, although it was a relatively comfortable one.

Any hopes of a Bremen comeback were quickly wiped out in the build-up to half-time. Vieirinha, unsurprisingly, was involved again and it was his free-kick that created the goal. He whipped the ball in from the left and found Kruse on the penalty spot, with his backward header finding the far corner.

It was a special goal for the Frenchman. (Image credit: kicker)
It was a special goal for the Frenchman. (Image credit: kicker)

Second half blitz

The second half was a carbon copy of the first, with Bremen struggling to make any impact on the game. They had Wiedwald to thank for denying Vieirinha and Dante in quick succession; the second save was particularly impressive. Just like the first period, however, his saves were quickly followed by a Wolfsburg goal.

Marcel Schäfer got into space down the left flank and showed that there is more to just Ricardo Rodriguez in the Wolves' left-back position, as he swung in a pin-point cross. Vieirinha came storming in at the back post to volley the ball in at the back post, notching up a well-deserved goal for himself.

From there on, Bremen capitulated. Guilavogui added a fourth after a great ball in from André Schürrle, which left the Frenchman was an easy finish in front of Wiedwald. Kruse could have added another but Wiedwald again remained resolute, denying him with his feet.

That was not the end of the suffering for the Bremen 'keeper and his defence, as Wolfsburg added two more late goals. Bas Dost was his usual clinical self from inside the area, taking advantage of Kruse's pass. Like Vieirinha, the former-Gladbach man grabbed another goal of his own with a fine finish to round off the scoring.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Jonathan Walsh
SoccerSight IFA commentator. VAVEL deputy editor-in-chief/VAVEL Bundesliga editor-in-chief and writer. Email: [email protected]