Daghim scores, Grabara saves, and Wolfsburg take crucial points in Hamburg | OneFootball

VfL Wolfsburg made a visit to Hamburg and the Volksparkstadion for the first time since the 2017/18 season, taking on Hamburger SV in the eighth matchweek of the 2025/26 campaign. Die Rothosen were looking to continue a fine run of form that has exceeded expectations, eleventh with a 2-2-3 record; as for Die Wölfe, they are desperate for a win, fifteenth in the table with a 1-2-4 record and with just five points through their first seven.

The match officially got underway, with the visitors kicking off the first half, advancing left to right. The hosts would get the first chance in the seventh minute; Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer gets past Mohamed Amoura and starts a run into the right side of the Wolfsburg half, but Saël Kumbedi intercepted it and hoofed it out for a corner before Albert Sambi Lokonga could get to it.

Four minutes later, Adam Daghim would start a similar run, open on the right side of the HSV half, but his low cross into the centre of the box would be intercepted by Luka Vušković. The 18-year-old Croatian international talent, on loan from Tottenham, would deflect the ball off 33-year-old Dane and former Spurs player himself, Christian Eriksen - meaning that Daniel Fernandes would take the resulting goal kick.

Eriksen almost had another opportunity in the thirteenth minute, off a through ball from Aaron Zehnter, but Miro Muheim would make the interception and send the ball back to Fernandes. The momentum at this point was primarily in favour of the visitors, and it was only a matter of time before they would strike first.

In the fifteenth minute, Daghim received a through ball from Eriksen and entered the right side of the Hamburg penalty area; he evaded Vušković with a fake pass before ultimately lifting a left-footed attempt above Fernandes and into the top-left corner. It was Daghim's second goal of the campaign, matching his total with RB Salzburg last season in just six appearances. For Wolfsburg, it was their ninth of the season, moving the club up by three places to twelfth in the live Bundesliga table.

HSV were close to a response soon after, though; in the twenty-first minute, Jean-Luc Dompé and Lokonga would connect on the left side of the Wolfsburg third. However, the through ball from the Belgian international, aimed towards the centre of the Wolcfsburg penalty area, could not reach either of William Mikelbrencis or Königsdörffer - and it was not long before Grabara would take possession of the ball.

Nearing the half-hour mark, Vinícius Souza would take down Nicolás Capaldo with a harsh tackle; head official Martin Petersen would show the 26-year-old Brazilian a yellow card. Petersen would then follow with a yellow card to Amoura, after he impeded the path of Capaldo just three minutes later.

The hosts continued to push for an equaliser, ideally hoping to find it before halftime. Lokonga, in the central areas of the Wolfsburg third, flicked the ball to Rayan Philippe at the goalmouth; however, Grabara charged out of his goal and perfectly cut down the angle, blocking the attempt with his chest. The flag then went up as Lokonga appeared to be offside when receiving the initial long ball from Daniel Elfadli.

Lokonga would not be done, though, as in the forty-fourth minute, he would receive a through ball into the right side of the Wolfsburg penalty area courtesy of Capaldo. Konstantinos Koulierakis was the only defender in the area, and seeing the potential angles that Lokonga could shoot at, tripped the Belgian international. Unfortunately for the Greek international centre-back, he could not win the ball back, and it was a pretty easy decision for Martin Petersen to point to the spot.

Königsdörffer would take the spot kick in the first minute of stoppage time, aiming it for the bottom-left corner with his right boot; Grabara read it perfectly, diving to his right and pawing away the initial attempt. Muheim would then smash the rebound well over the bar while under pressure from Koulierakis.

The side from Hamburg would have one final opportunity in the first half, as Rayan Philippe picked out the bottom-right corner from distance; Grabara dove to make the stop, and had a split-second to get up and meet the rebound from Lokonga. Fortunately for him, the latter would send a half-volley off the crossbar and out of play.

Paul Simonis' side were very fortunate to have walked into the tunnel at the halftime break with a 1-0 lead, especially given how the hosts dominated a majority of the statistical categories. Shots were 9-3 to HSV, 3-2 on target with 61% possession and an 85% pass accuracy on 293 passes, compared to 76% on 192 for Wolfsburg.

The second half started very similarly to how the first half ended; Miro Muheim would take a free kick on the right side of the Wolfsburg third within the first minute, crossing the ball into the left side of the visitors' goal area - Vušković met the pass but would tap it off the left post, and Lokonga sent the follow-up well over the bar. Muheim took another opportunity from distance a few minutes later, curling a left-footed shot off the outside of the left post and out for a goal kick to a leaping Grabara.

The visitors would then follow with an attack of their own, starting with an Amoura run into the left side of the Hamburg third off a ground pass from Aaron Zehnter; the Algerian international forward would flick the ball to his right, finding an open, onside Zehnter in front of the goal. Zehnter would get a shot off before an incoming slide tackle from Elfadli, but it was low-to-the-ground and went metres wide of the right post.

Yussuf Poulsen would enter the match in the sixty-fourth minute, replacing Königsdörffer; he would be on the receiving end of a decent through ball from Philippe just moments later, but even with space in the centre of the box, he could not take advantage - leaving Jenson Seelt to hoof the ball away for a corner.

HSV outshot Wolfsburg 6-0, but 1-0 on target between the sixty-fifth and eightieth minutes. In the seventy-ninth, Poulsen would start a counterattack for the hosts; his through ball to the left side of the Wolfsburg penalty area reached Dompé, but the French winger would send a low shot right into the hands of Grabara.

The hosts could not launch another shot on target until stoppage time, when a corner into the centre of the box from Dompé was pinballed in front of Poulsen, deflecting off him, then off the body of Seelt, and straight to Grabara. With Fernandes well out of his net, having charged out for the set piece, Grabara quickly threw the ball to Arnold - the captain would take a longshot from the Wolfsburg half, but hit the left post.

Hamburg were not done, though; Fernandes would send another long ball in the direction of Vušković, but he was outmuscled by Skov Olsen and Wolfsburg would eventually clear. The Hamburg coaching staff thought it was a penalty, but Martin Petersen made it clear that play would continue; this led to brief arguments between the two benches, which were quickly broken up by Max Burda.

The final whistle would go soon after, as VfL Wolfsburg emerged with their second victory of the season, defeating Hamburger SV by a goal to none. Shots were 18-3 to HSV in the second half, 3-0 on target, with 62% possession and an 80% pass accuracy on 208 passes, compared to 69% on 140.

Statistically, Wolfsburg won against the run of play; Hamburg outshot them 27-6 in total, 6-2 on target, with 61% possession and an 83% pass accuracy on 501 passes, compared to 73% on 332 for Wolfsburg. VfL Wolfsburg now move into twelfth place, and Hamburger SV move one spot down to thirteenth; both teams have a 2-2-4 and eight points, and -4 goal differences, but Wolfsburg have scored nine goals whereas HSV have eight.

VfL Wolfsburg have a crucial DFB-Pokal meeting with 2. Bundesliga side KSV Holstein Kiel on Tuesday; that match is set to get underway at 19:30 (CET). This will be followed by a home match against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Bundesliga competition, on Sunday, 2. November at 17:30 (CET).

As for Hamburger SV, they face 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 away in the DFB-Pokal at the same time on Tuesday, and then visit 1. FC Köln next Sunday, two hours before Wolfsburg's match at 15:30 (CET).