With the two sides in hot pursuit of the European places, managers Niko Kovač and Oliver Glasner were also both looking to get one over their former clubs. In fact, Glasner had failed to taste victory against Wolfsburg in three previous attempts, and his Frankfurt side were the first to be pegged back once again in a frantic first half. Following a bizarre stoppage in which one side of Kevin Trapp’s goal had to be shortened to the regulation size, Omar Marmoush met Yannick Gerhardt’s pass to race beyond the defence and expertly round the goalkeeper, finishing into the empty net.
Die Adler responded immediately, overturning the scoreline with two goals in quick succession. First, Randal Kolo Muani towered above Ridle Baku to head a pinpoint Aurélio Buta cross past Koen Casteels, before defender Evan Ndicka gave his team the lead with a goal any striker would be proud of. As a cross was cleared by Wolfsburg, Ndicka was there to meet it with a thunderbolt of a left-footed strike into the far top corner, with Casteels clutching at thin air.
There was still time before the break for Wolfsburg to respond, and Marmoush almost got his second with a chip over the goalkeeper, but it was cleared off the line by the retreating Tuta. Nevertheless, Gerhardt was on hand to put Die Wölfe on level terms, as he emphatically headed in a Patrick Wimmer free-kick.
If the first half was riddled with quality, the second period was severely lacking. Daichi Kamada, often the main creative outlet for Frankfurt, fired a low shot just wide, before Gerhardt failed to convert a one-on-one from a tight angle at the other end. The visitors did have the ball in the net when Jesper Lindstrøm converted from close range, but an offside in the build-up ensured it wouldn’t count.
Frankfurt looked the likelier to snatch the three points in the closing stages of the match, but the home side stood up to the challenge and made sure the spoils were shared. Both sides will likely see the point as disappointing as they hope to sneak into UEFA Champions League contention, with Glasner’s side now without a win in six Bundesliga away matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Yannick Gerhardt (Wolfsburg)
