Wolfsburg stumble in 2. Bundesliga opener with 0-0 draw against Kaiserslautern

Stuttering start for promotion favourites

VfL Wolfsburg, relegated from the Bundesliga last season and widely tipped for an immediate return, opened their 2. Bundesliga campaign on Saturday evening with a 0-0 draw against 1. FC Kaiserslautern at the Volkswagen Arena. A crowd of 25,489 watched the top favourites fail to break down a committed visiting side, and the result delivered an early reality check for a club whose stated ambition is direct promotion back to the top flight.

Coach debutant Tobias Strobl named six new signings in his starting lineup, including king transfer Fabian Reese from Hertha BSC on the left wing and Robert Glatzel from Hamburger SV as the lone striker. The team needed time to find any rhythm. Kaiserslautern, the more settled unit, created the first chances, with Naatan Skyttä breaking through in the seventh minute only for 18-year-old goalkeeper Jakub Zielinski, deputising for the injured Timon Wellenreuther, to be rescued by Sael Kumbedi's goal-line clearance.

Wolfsburg press before the break

After a nervous opening quarter-hour, Wolfsburg began to push forward. Muhammed Damar tested Kaiserslautern keeper Julian Krahl with long-range strikes in the 15th and 29th minutes, the second of which the Pfälzer stopper parried while in visible pain from a wrist injury sustained in the 19th minute. Krahl played through the discomfort for the remainder of the match.

The hosts' best opportunity fell to Hauke Wahl in the 41st minute. After Kaiserslautern failed to clear several times, Wahl struck a volley from distance that cannoned off the outside post. Fraser Hornby had also gone close in the 35th minute, only for Maxwell Gyamfi to block him near the goal line. The score remained 0-0 at half-time, a fair reflection of a first period in which Wolfsburg had increased the pressure without finding a finishing touch.

Zielinski keeps Wolfsburg in it

The second half belonged largely to the visitors. Kaiserslautern pushed forward with confidence and exposed gaps in the Wolfsburg defence. In the 56th minute, Skyttä unleashed a powerful shot that Zielinski, just 18 years old, clawed away from the corner. The teenage Pole was called upon again in the 70th minute, denying substitute Ibrahim Kanaté.

At the other end, Wolfsburg's attacking play lacked the dominance Strobl had demanded. Glatzel, signed from HSV, never found a real foothold in the game. Reese and Damar showed flashes of quality but could not generate sustained pressure in the final third. The one point felt, in the end, almost fortunate for the hosts.

Pejcinovic left out amid transfer standoff

Dzenan Pejcinovic, the subject of continued interest from VfB Stuttgart, was not included in the matchday squad. The two clubs remain in dispute over the transfer fee, with Wolfsburg demanding 25 million euros that Stuttgart have so far refused to pay. His absence left Strobl without one of his more coveted attacking options on a night when creativity was already in short supply.