The Wolves lost 3-1 at home to Mainz 05 at the Volkswagen Arena in their final match of the season. Kevin Paredes put VfL in front early on (18’) but Brajan Gruda (24’), Sepp van den Berg (71’) and Jonathan Burkardt (85’) turned the contest on its head for the visitors to secure their league status. Seventeen-year-old Bennit Bröger celebrated his first few Bundesliga minutes as a late replacement for injured substitute Patrick Wimmer.
The result means Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side finish the 2023/24 Bundesliga season in 12th position, with the Zerofivers moving up to 13th and celebrating survival. The Green-and-Whites now head off for their summer break. Check out the summer schedule to find out what’s lies ahead for the squad.
Goals
- 1-0 Paredes (18’): Yes! The Wolves lead thanks to a great strike from Paredes. The American makes a good run to connect with Jakub Kaminski’s pacey left-wing delivery and hits it first-time into the bottom-left corner.
- 1-1 Gruda (24’): The away fans go wild as Gruda levels promptly for Mainz with a vital goal. Lovro Majer loses the ball to Burkardt in midfield and after a quick counter via Nadiem Amiri, the ball comes to Gruda, who keeps his cool in front of Koen Casteels and finds the net with his left.
- 1-2 van den Berg (71’): The goal that keeps Mainz up? Shortly after Union Berlin score to put pressure on FSV, an Amiri free kick from the right finds van den Berg, whose initial header is saved by sharp reflexes from Casteels, but the Dutchman bundles the rebound over the line.
- 1-3 Burkardt (81’): Burkardt seals it! The impressive Gruda is again involved, squaring the ball in the penalty area at mid-height for the striker to turn in with a diving header. Casteels gets a hand to it but can’t keep it out.