bundesliga

Felix Nmecha doubles up as Wolfsburg beat Bochum to record rare home win

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Felix Nmecha registered his first Bundesliga goals while Ridle Baku and Jonas Wind also hit the target as Wolfsburg saw off lowly Bochum and picked up a welcome three points.

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Wolfsburg 4-0 Bochum
Goals: 1-0 F. Nmecha 27' (assist: Arnold), 2-0 Baku 35' (assist: Wimmer), 3-0 F. Nmecha 58' (assist: Arnold), 4-0 Wind 80'

Unbeaten in their previous five matches in all competitions, the hosts were welcoming a Bochum side who downed the division leaders Union Berlin last time out. Niko Kovac sent his team into battle looking to emerge victorious for only the second time at home this season and his player responded to the call with a commanding first-half display at the Volkswagen Arena. Following a sustained period of pressure, the Wolves worked a free kick to Maxi Arnold, whose flighted pass into the danger zone was met by the head of Felix Nmecha. Unmarked as he leapt to meet the ball, the Hamburg native headed into the corner for his first-ever Bundesliga goal. Less than ten minutes later, the home side increased their lead. Returning to the fray following an ankle injury, the always energetic Patrick Wimmer slid a perfect through pass in for Baku who slammed an emphatic finish high in at the near post.

Wolfsburg had one of the lowest goals for tallies in the division going into this game with only Bochum and Schalke scoring fewer times than the lower-saxony based side. Shortly before the hour mark, however, Kovac's men were +16 for the campaign after Felix Nmecha headed home another Arnold assist, the Wolves' No.27 this time hitting his pinpoint pass directly from a free kick. Just seconds later and it could have been 4-0 when Felix fed his brother Lukas Nmecha who chipped a shot against the post. Their chances of picking up a first point on the road in 2022/23 having disappeared from view, Bochum's miserable afternoon was complete when substitute Wind cracked a fine shot from distance into the corner to send the home fans home in celebratory mood.

Match stats

  • Felix Nmecha scored his first Bundesliga goals in his 26th German top-flight game.
  • Bochum have conceded nine headed goals this season, more than any other team.
  • Baku ended a run of 15 Bundesliga games without a goal by scoring his first of the season.
  • The 24-year-old ended a sequence of scoring four away goals in the Bundesliga with his first in a home game since March 13, 2021.
  •  Wolfsburg have now won nine of their 12 Bundesliga home games against Bochum (D1, L2), including eight of the last nine.
  • Bochum are the only team yet to earn a point on the road.
  • Wolfsburg had 21 shots on goal, more than in any other game this season.

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Teams

Wolfsburg: Casteels - Baku (Fischer 81'), Bornauw, Van de Ven, Otavio - F. Nmecha (Svanberg 74'), Arnold (c), Gerhardt - Wimmer (Marmoush 67'), L. Nmecha (Wind 74'), Kaminski (Brekalo 81')
Unused subs: Pervan, Roussillon, Lacroix, Guilavogui
Out: Franjic (calf), Kruse (not considered), Roussillon (Achilles)
Coach: Niko Kovac

Bochum: Riemann - Gamboa, Ordets (Ganvoula 46'), Heintz, Soares - Losilla (c), Förster (Zoller 58'), Stöger - Osei-Tutu (Holtmann 59'), Antwi-Adjei (Stafylidis 73') - Hofmann (Oermann 73')
Unused subs: Esser, Horn, Lampropoulos, Osterhage
Out: Asano (knee), Goralski (muscular), Grave (shoulder), Mousset (fitness)
Coach: Thomas Letsch