What We Learned – Wolfsburg 2 Hannover 2 [VIDEO]

A disappointing second-half display let Wolfsburg down and allowed Hannover to steal a vital point in their bid to avoid dropping out of the Bundesliga after a 2-2 draw last night.

A strong home crowed greeted the green and white wolves as they maintained a emphatic unbeaten home record in the Bundesliga this season, having 12 wins four draws across their 16 games. Hannover appeared set for one of their toughest away assignments against rival Wolfsburg, having had only two wins on the road over the campaign.

Wolfsburg manager Dieter Hecking was not looking to give his former club any favours, evident early on when Bas Dost bounced back from his goal drought to help the ball into the back of the net. Ivan Perisic’s screamer capitalised a strong first-half for the wolves, but then the match turned on it’s head. Soon after the break, a Wolfsburg defensive lapse was capitalised on by Jimmy Briand before the scores were levelled through Salif Sane, who finished a corner with an outlandish overhead goal. A point for both teams came a just result, giving that neither stamped their authority on the game.

Defensive worries omnipresent for Wolves

For the quality of defensive players Wolfsburg has invested in, their performances defensively have been lacklustre at best. The midweek German Cup seemed to have added some confidence to the back-half, but losses of concentration again hurt the wolves, who failed to capitalise on a strong first-half effort. Normally reliable Naldo was caught in no-mans-land allowing Briand to head home, and the midfield combination of midweek hero Maximilian Arnold and Luiz Gustavo proved ineffective when in their own half.

The holes in the defence proved too costly and with much tougher opponents to face in the weeks to come, no doubt Wolfsburg will be punished much more accordingly. Dieter Hecking will once again be left with the task of sorting out the jigsaw puzzle in selecting his back four and pleading his players to make use of their considerable opportunities.

Second-half resilience and tenacity earns reds vital points

Hannover are yet to win in 2015, and Michael Frontzeck’s men are starting down relegation at the end of the season. The reds started the second-half 2-0 down in what looked likely to blow out into a disappointing and perhaps telling result. But for a team with a mountain to climb, Hannover strapped on some alpine gear and ascended into a glorious comeback.

Briand breathed some life into the team and his goal snatched back some momentum. The real magic though was left down to Sane, who with a bit of confidence buried his second Bundesliga goal this season, one you will be seeing across footballing highlights around the globe. Late defensive prowess from Marcelo made sure to deny any late efforts the Wolfsburg forwards had.

The second-half was a complete turn around from an uncreative and dissapointing display from the visitors, a late chance from Prib was scrambled away by Diego Benaglio denying what would have been a remarkable victory.

The finish line draws closer

The match against Wolfsburg vs Hannover was not touted as being anything but regulation for a side looking to qualify directly for champions league and a side struggling to avoid the drop, and for the first 45 minutes it seemed destined to end as predicted. With Bayer Leverkusen picking up crucial points against a third string Bayern Munich team the wolves see their advantage slip to four points. With Monchegladbach playing the  late game, Wolfsburg might see their lead reduced to two points, ahead of a promising Leverkusen vs Gladbach fixture next weekend.

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Hannover were allowed to move a step closer to safety tied with fourth-last Frieburg on 30 and only one behind Paderborn, the relegation battle a stark comparison to the team that qualified for both the 2011/12 and 2012/13 Europa League competitions. No doubt the seasons last game against SC Frieburg will be touted as the most crucial in the clubs recent history.

With only three games left in the season, both teams will be looking to do everything they can to secure their respective spots.

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