Edin Džeko and Zvjezdan Misimović can't be stopped

The deadly combination of Bosnia and Herzegovina internationals Edin Džeko and Zvjezdan Misimović once again pulled Die Wölfe to victory as sent English side Portsmouth home with a 3-2 defeat. Twenty-two year-old Edin Džeko brought Volkswagen Arena to its feet only three minutes into the match as he redirected Christian Gentner's perfect cross to the back of the net. Three Lions capped Jermain Defoe brought the match level only eight minutes later, capitalized upon a poor clearance by Wolfsburg 'keeper Diego Benaglio. Clearly energized by the goal, Pompey took the lead a further three minutes later with Arnold Mvuemba's strike taking a gratuitous deflection from nearly twenty meters. To continue the goal made start, only twenty-three minutes after the start the match was brought level at two as Christian Gentner's shot that appeared for more like a cross than a attempt on the goal, somehow evaded everyone including Portsmouth 'keeper David James. While an agreement not to bother with defending seemed to be evoked the match was empty of goals till the sixteen minutes remained when David James handled a long ball horribly, gifting it to Zvjezdan Misimović for the winning strike. Ten minutes before time Sol Campbell was adjudged to fouling young Edin Džeko in the area but Zvjezdan's effort was stopped by the Portsmouth 'keeper however Wolfsburg held for the 3-2 victory.

Wolfsburg now advances to the round of thirty-two with a perfect record in three matches. Felix Magath's side returns to Bundesliga action against Hannover 96 on Sunday.

Vfb suffer horrible loss

In a match that cost Armin Veh his job, Vfb lost to Wolfsburg 4-1 at Volkswagen Area. The scoreline hides the fact that although die Roten were missing Ricardo Osorio, Pavel Pardo and Sami Khedira from last weekends lineup they took the lead seventeen minutes after the opening whistle as Martin Lanig scored from close range, coming off a Mario Gómez shot. However midfield weakness and poor tactical planning to deal with who I feel is one of the most valuable players in the Bundesliga, Zvjezdan Misimović. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international was a whirlwind of action and stretch and prodded the Vfb defenders incessantly. While die Roten held them back through the break through Jens Lehmann and a ample serving of good fortune it wasn't long till the home side broke through. With the restart Wolfsburg hungered for the tying goal and got at the fifty-first minute when Grafite latched onto a rebound of Zvjezdan Misimović shot and drove it behind Jens. The pace of the match slow slightly for the next ten minutes and Wolfsburg padlocked Vfb's forward assaults to perfection. Six minutes past the hour-mark Brazilian striker Grafite continued to terrorize Vfb picking his second goal of the match. It is speculative in-nature but the response from the club at this stage certainly added to the contention that they lack focus with a series of defensive blunders and a managerial change was needed. Only three minutes after the go-ahead goal Misimović's Plavo-žuti mate Edin Džeko scored and added his second with five minutes to play.

Following the match Armin Veh said:

"We were very disciplined throughout the first half and everything was very orderly. We went into the break in the lead and confident. We ruined things for ourselves with the mistakes we made. It was clear to see that we are not mentally in good form at the moment. We lost our shape and had nothing in reserve after we went 2-1 down. We are in a difficult position at the moment and need to remedy that."

Thomas Hitzlsperger comments were one-hundred per-cent accurate when he said:

"We played exactly as we had set out to do in the first half. We closed down the spaces early on and put together a couple of good moves ourselves. The lead was a bit lucky maybe but we were playing well at the time. We lost the plot once they equalised and made simple mistakes which Wolfsburg punished. The way this game went is typical of our current situation - we can't pull ourselves together once we've conceded."

Energie Cottbus match preview

Less than forty-eight hours since the victory over Heerenveen in the UEFA Cup, Wolfsburg faces Energie Cottbus at Volkswagen Arena. With the Bundesliga race so close and this appears to be the year of the upset with TSG Hoffenheim on top of the table and FC Köln now sixth in the table, all matches are key. While Energie is at the bottom of the table and they will have Dimitar Rangelov back from injury, they cannot be overlooked. Fatigue is a definite factor with Wolfsburg and die Lausitzer' defensive tactics and counter-attack ready approach suit this situation perfectly. Wolfsburg is reporting no injuries and will need to attack early and then lock-down the match defensively or the visitors will be very difficult to wrestle a draw away. Once again, watch for the emerging talent of young striker Edin Džeko, working close with play-maker Zvjezdan Misimović.

I will report on the match as it concludes.