Paderborn Fc and Wolfsburg draw 0-0 in play-off first leg
paderborn fc left the Volkswagen Arena with a 0-0 draw against VfL Wolfsburg on Thursday evening, keeping the Bundesliga relegation play-off level after a tense first leg. The tie now moves to Whit Monday, 25 May, when the second leg will decide the final remaining top-flight spot for the 2026/2027 season.
Volkswagen Arena Pressure
A sold-out crowd of 27,800 saw Wolfsburg control long stretches without finding a finish. Dieter Hecking said, "We have to blame ourselves for being too sloppy in the final third."
Hecking added, "Sometimes it was the final pass that was lacking, other times it was a technical mistake." He also said, "So for me, none of this came as a surprise."
That was the friction in Wolfsburg's night. They created moments but did not turn them into a lead, while Paderborn, the third-placed team from Bundesliga 2, kept the game alive long enough to leave with the score blank.
Grabara and Seimen Stand Firm
The clearest opening came in the ninth minute when Santiago Castaneda fired goalwards from close range after a corner, only for Kamil Grabara and Jeanuel Belocian to combine to keep the ball out. Adam Daghim was later denied by Manuel Seimen from a tight angle in the 32nd minute.
Filip Bilbija then lifted the ball beyond Grabara after being played through with a chipped pass, but Denis Vavro and Joakim Maehle cleared it off the line. Christian Eriksen tested Seimen with a free-kick in the 68th minute, but the breakthrough still did not come.
Wolfsburg had gone into the first leg without Vini Souza, who served a suspension after picking up his fifth booking at FC St. Pauli. Yannick Gerhardt replaced him in the starting line-up, and the match stayed locked until the final whistle.
Whit Monday In Ostwestfalen
Ralf Kettemann said, "The lads did a top job, they were brave, showe" after Paderborn held on for the draw. The return leg comes on Whit Monday, 25 May, at the Ostwestfalen's stadium, with kick-off at 20:30 CEST, and the winner will take the Bundesliga place at stake in this tie.
