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Bundesliga: Wout Weghorst the winner for Wolfsburg

Jonathan Harding
December 11, 2020

Following the end of the Champions League group stages, Bundesliga football returned. When two teams who have spent most of the season drawing met on Friday night, the result was a surprise after late drama.

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Ridle Baku jumps over Kevin Trapp
Kevin Trapp's performance played a big part in Frankfurt's winImage: dpa/picture alliance

Wolfsburg 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt, Volkswagen Arena
(Weghorst 76' pen., 88' — Dost 63' pen.)

The combination of a Friday night game and two teams who have together drawn 13 games this season pointed towards only one result. But this game hadn't taken Wout Weghorst into account.

The Dutchman's penalty leveled the scores but his second, the winner, was proof of the lanky striker's skill. He turned the defender to meet Xaver Schlager's excellent pass and found the far corner from a tight angle, and that was that. Wolfsburg had their fourth win in five and, at least for the night, had claimed fourth in the Bundesliga.

Weghorst has long been one of those under the radar strikers in the Bundesliga. This season though, he is delivering in plain sight, week in, week out. For the second week in a row, teammate John Anthony Brooks will breath a sigh of relief after Weghorst's goals turned his defensive mistake from turning point to footnote.

"He helps us in key moments," Ridle Baku said of Weghorst afterwards.

"It was an incredible goal from Wout," fellow countryman and Frankfurt scorer Bas Dost said.

Other than praising Schlager's pass, Weghorst himself refused to say much when he watched the goal back. He just smiled, but not even his grin could hide evident appreciation for the match-winning goal.

Filip Kostic tries to control the ball
Frankfurt might have won the game but couldn't contain Wout WeghorstImage: GES/picture alliance

No Silva, no party

A match winner is exactly what Frankfurt lacked. Without Andre Silva, their most productive and important player in attack, Frankfurt looked toothless. Bas Dost scored but was largely isolated while Filip Kostic was subdued and missed a glorious chance to score before Dost's penalty.

"We gifted them two goals. It was just dumb," Hinteregger said afterwards as Frankfurt extended their winless streak to eight games. 

Playing this Friday might have served as a painful reminder to Wolfsburg that this year they're not playing on Thursday nights, having lost to AEK Athens in the 94th minute of the final round of Europa League qualifying.

Instead it was the perfect way to prepare for their trip to Munich next Wednesday. With Weghorst in the form of his career, creative wingbacks that most Bundesliga sides would love to have and an undefeated record, this might be the best Wolfsburg team to play Bayern since Grafite's backheel in 2009. What a thought that is.