Wolfsburg edge Altglienicke 6-5 on penalties after 3-3 draw in DFB-Pokal

Early pressure and Altglienicke lead

VfL Wolfsburg progressed to the second round of the DFB-Pokal on Monday evening, defeating fourth-tier VSG Altglienicke 6:5 on penalties after a 3:3 draw through 120 minutes. The match took place before a capacity crowd of 5,000 spectators at the Stadion am Wurfplatz in Berlin. The venue, which serves as the amateur stadium of Hertha BSC directly adjacent to the Olympiastadion, hosted the tie because Altglienicke's regular home ground in Brandenburg's Fürstenwalde was too short to meet tournament regulations. Altglienicke, who were playing only the second DFB-Pokal match in their club history and entered the fixture unbeaten in Regionalliga competition, threatened after just 80 seconds when Emeka Oduah set up Jonas Nietfeld for a shot that Wolfsburg goalkeeper Jakub Zielinski parried. Nietfeld opened the scoring in the sixth minute by converting a low, sharp volley cross delivered from the left wing by Lennart Czyborra. Wolfsburg tested Altglienicke goalkeeper Luis Zwick through a low drive from Muhammed Damar in the tenth minute, a 22-meter effort from Fabian Reese in the 22nd minute, and a 39th-minute header from recent signing Alexander Bernhardsson.

Arnold turns the tide in regular time

Wolfsburg head coach Tobias Strobl had demanded absolute seriousness from his squad prior to kickoff, yet the lower-tier side continued to mount direct counterattacks throughout the opening period. Seeking to alter the dynamic, Strobl made three substitutions at halftime by bringing on club captain Maximilian Arnold, Sael Kumbedi, and Elvis Rexhbecaj. Arnold brought the 2015 cup winners level in the 55th minute with a strike from roughly 30 meters out. Altglienicke regained the lead in the 71st minute when Zielinski, acting as the last man, played a misplaced pass straight to Jonas Saliger, who scored into the empty net for 2:1. Arnold restored parity again in the 83rd minute by curling home a long-range free kick, after which Zwick preserved the 2:2 scoreline with two stops against Damar in stoppage time.

Extra-time deadlock and shootout redemption

The match swung back in favor of the underdogs during the second half of extra time when Mehmet Ibrahimi scored in the 109th minute to put Altglienicke ahead 3:2. Wolfsburg answered in the 117th minute when defender Hauke Wahl equalized to tie the contest at 3:3 and force a penalty shootout. The tension increased when Reese stepped up as Wolfsburg's fourth penalty taker and saw his mid-height shot saved by Zwick. Zielinski rescued Wolfsburg by stopping consecutive attempts from Altglienicke penalty takers Sven Sonnenberg and Ibrahimi. Wolfsburg defender Kilian Fischer subsequently converted the winning penalty to end the shootout at 6:5.

Hostile reception and tournament outlook

The fixture served as an unwelcoming return to Berlin for Reese, who faced relentless whistling, jeering, and boos on every ball touch just 69 days after his departure from Hertha BSC to Wolfsburg. The victory secured Wolfsburg's progression to the second round of the DFB-Pokal for the fifth consecutive season. The result allowed Wolfsburg to avoid the fate of fellow relegated side 1. FC Heidenheim, who suffered a 2:5 elimination against SSV Jeddeloh II earlier in the round. The draw for the second round of the competition is scheduled for 5 September at 18:00 on the Sportschau television broadcast.