Oliver Glasner made three changes to his starting line-up from the 2-1 defeat at Leipzig last weekend. Evan Ndicka and Aurelio Buta were rotated back in for Hrvoje Smolcic and Ansgar Knauff, while fit-again Mario Götze replaced the suspended Djibril Sow in midfield.
Topsy-turvy first half
The game began with a bizarre hold-up when Kevin Trapp noticed one of his goalposts was not in the ground properly. The Eintracht goalkeeper fixed it himself and the crowd of around 28,000 then witnessed an eventful first half. It was Wolfsburg who opened the scoring with the first meaningful attack of the match on 10 minutes, as Yannick Gerhardt released Omar Marmoush, who rounded Trapp and rolled the ball into the empty net. The goal was initially disallowed for offside, but the decision was overturned following a video review.
The Eagles responded well and levelled on 22 minutes, when Randal Kolo Muani rose highest to meet Buta’s magnificent cross and head in his 11th Bundesliga goal of the season. The turnaround was then complete in fewer than five minutes. The ball dropped to Ndicka on the edge of the area after Wolfsburg failed to clear, and the Frenchman unleashed an unstoppable strike into the top corner for his first goal of the campaign.
The momentum swung back in favour of the hosts towards the end of the first half, with Tuta clearing Marmoush’s chip off the line and Trapp saving from Gerhardt. Eventually the pressure paid off, though, and they levelled when Gerhardt nodded in Patrick Wimmer’s free-kick at the near post. Tuta then made another crucial intervention to deny Marmoush in the fifth and final minute of added time.
Late chances for winner
The tempo dropped somewhat in the second half, with both sides adopting a more cautious approach and restricting goalscoring opportunities. Daichi Kamada fired just wide from distance, while Gerhardt twice met his match in Trapp. Eintracht did find the net in the 72nd minute when Jesper Lindström tapped in Kolo Muani’s cut-back, but the Frenchman had started his run in an offside position.
It remained tense until the end and the Eagles could have nicked the three points late on. Ndicka struck the outside of the post on the turn after Koen Casteels had spilled a corner, before substitute Rafael Borré headed wide in the last action of the game. The draw was the right result, though, and keeps Eintracht in sixth place on 39 points.
SGE line-up
Trapp – Tuta, Hasebe, Ndicka – Buta (Knauff 84’), Rode (Jakic 74’), Kamada, Max (Lenz 74’) – Lindström (Borré 84’), Götze – Kolo Muani
Goals
1-0 Marmoush (10’)
1-1 Kolo Muani (22’)
1-2 Ndicka (26’)
2-2 Gerhardt (43’)