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Full Time After Extra Time This is a live match. Extra Time Half Time

Wolfsburg vs Stuttgart. German Bundesliga.

Volkswagen ArenaAttendance25,501.

Wolfsburg 3

  • R Rodríguez (38th minute)
  • Diego (53rd minute)
  • I Perisic (78th minute)

Stuttgart 1

  • T Werner (57th minute)

Home comforts for Wolfsburg

Image: Diego (left) of Wolfsburg and Moritz Leitner of Stuttgart

Wolfsburg reduced the arrears on fourth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach to three points thanks to a 3-1 win over Stuttgart.

Wolfsburg reduced the arrears on fourth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach to three points thanks to a 3-1 win over Stuttgart - but the visitors will feel hard done by in this Bundesliga contest. The game was still 0-0 when Timo Werner's effort was cleared from behind the line - but the German Football League's continued refusal to introduce widespread technology may have cost Stuttgart at least a point at the VW-Arena. Ricardo Rodriguez and Diego then gave the hosts a two-goal lead before Werner finally put his name on the scoresheet. Ivan Perisic added a third for the Wolves as they opened up a four-point cushion over Hertha Berlin in sixth, leaving Stuttgart in 10th - and with plenty to recriminate. Wolfsburg were almost in front in the sixth minute when Maximilian Arnold's shot was saved well by Sven Ulreich. Luiz Gustavo's persistence was nearly rewarded 10 minutes later when the ball found its way through to Daniel Caligiuri, but his shot was saved by an increasingly involved Ulreich. The incident which the game is most likely to be remembered for came on the half-hour mark when Vedad Ibisevic sent Werner through and his shot hit the leg of Diego Benaglio and looped up towards the goal. Robin Knoche raced back and scooped the ball out, although it had clearly crossed the goal line. However, the referee and his assistant were not so sure and decided not to award the goal, waving away Stuttgart's protests in the absence of goal line technology which is now well overdue in the Bundesliga. Not long after, the hosts took the lead when Rodriguez's free-kick from out wide curled its way past everybody, including Ulreich, to nestle in the back of the net. Wolfsburg doubled their lead in the 53rd minute after a Naldo free-kick was blocked in the wall by Martin Harnik's arm. Another free-kick was awarded 10 yards closer to goal and this time it was Diego who stepped up to shoot, with another deflection, this time off the head of Christian Gentner, leaving Ulreich wrong-footed. There could be no debate about Werner's next goal which reduced the arrears in the 57th minute, a volley from the edge of the area which found the bottom left-hand corner of Diego Benaglio's goal. Werner could have brought Stuttgart level when he was put through in a one-on-one situation, but Benaglio denied him, doing the same again to push a Gentner volley behind for a corner. As it was looking increasingly likely that Stuttgart would level, a counter-attack finished them off with Perisic pouncing on Gotoku Sakai's mistake to beat Ulreich at the second attempt.

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