The frustration after the celebration: Arnold has understanding for the Wolfsburg fans
VfL Wolfsburg missed the punch line on an almost perfect birthday weekend: The late 3:3 draw against newly promoted Cologne caused frustration among the fans who had been celebrating beforehand.
Frustration after the celebration: After the late 3-3 draw against Cologne, Wolfsburg's captain (left) and members of the team needed to speak. IMAGO/Christian Schroedter
The setting was perfect, but the script for this football match, so special for VfL Wolfsburg, read almost too cheesy. The grand celebrations surrounding the Green-Whites' 80th birthday dominated this Wolfsburg anniversary matchday, but the happy ending failed to materialize in the 3-3 draw against 1. FC Köln – which led to visible and audible frustration.
The afternoon had everything: Legends like champion Grafite and cup winner Naldo leading the current team onto the pitch. A crazy football match, prolonged by lightning, thunder, smoke, injured players, and faulty video equipment, which VfL record player Maximilian Arnold brought to the side of the celebrating birthday boy with a brilliant free kick in the ninth minute of stoppage time. Everything seemed like a perfect party. Until Wolfsburg loanee Jakub Kaminski put a stop to the festivities with his equalizer five minutes later. The result: Wolfsburg frustration after the party.
Exchange between captain and capo: "Frustration had to come out"The disappointment erupted as the team walked into the north stand. The VfL players weren't given a ceremonial welcome; rather, they were met with dismissal. The captain and captain Arnold exchanged many gestures, and several teammates joined their leader. "They're just as disappointed as we are," Arnold said, sympathetic to his own fans. "And that's why we had this conversation. We're all in the same boat. That hurts. Maybe the frustration needed to be released from both sides."
VfL Wolfsburg squandered a home win against Mainz (1-1) just before the international break, and now they've also lost against newly promoted Cologne. Wolfsburg are winless in their last ten home matches (seven draws, three defeats) across the season, extending their club's record of losing matches. Their last victory at the Volkswagen Arena was a 5-1 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 17 of the previous season, on January 14, eight months ago.
VfL has started the season with five points from three matches, meaning they are still unbeaten, but new coach Paul Simonis's team still has a lot to play for in terms of football. At least: The team fought back from the initial threat of defeat, with tackling players like Vinicius Souza and Joakim Maehle pushing themselves and the crowd, but in the end, the draw felt like a defeat.
… then every Wolfsburg resident can be proud of it and look at it with shining eyes.
Captain Maximilian Arnold on the celebrations for VfL's 80th birthday
Instead of celebrating a win for himself and the fans, disappointment prevailed. "We've done something wrong," Arnold mused. The 31-year-old, however, doesn't want to let the overall impression of VfL's celebrations be ruined. "Looking back on this weekend, every Wolfsburg fan can be proud of it and look back on it with shining eyes."
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