Bundesliga
Jonas Wind's double helped Wolfsburg to a 3-0 victory at home against Mainz, who they also leapfrogged in the Bundesliga table, as they gave their hopes of securing qualification for European football a significant boost.
Wolfsburg 3-0 Mainz
Goals: 1-0 Wind 5' (assist: Svanberg), 2-0 Bornauw 14' (assist: Wimmer), 3-0 Wind 28' (assist: Baku)
The two sides were separated by just two points prior to kick-off, adding an extra edge to the match, and it was the hosts who best dealt with the pressure as they all but secured the victory within the opening half-hour. Striker Wind opened the scoring with less than five minutes on the clock, finishing off a delightful Wolfsburg move courtesy of a delicate chip over Robin Zentner between the Mainz sticks. Sebastiaan Bornauw was next on the scoresheet as he headed home Patrick Wimmer's cross shortly after, before Wind grabbed his second of the encounter by sliding in at the back post to get on the end of Ridle Baku's low cross. It was only when faced by a three-goal deficit that Die Nullfünfer started to put their opponents under any pressure, with Karim Onisiwo denied by a strong Koen Casteels stop and Sven Widmer blazing over the bar when in plenty of space just inside the penalty area, but it was not enough to haul themselves back into the clash before the interval.
The onus was on the visitors to take the game to Niko Kovac's men in the second half, and Bo Svensson made two changes at the break in an attempt to turn the tide. One of those substitutes, Aaron Martin, came within a whisker of pulling a goal back when his volley from outside the area flew narrowly wide of the post. Ultimately, though, the away outfit failed to trouble Casteels on a regular basis and, if anything, Wolfsburg appeared more likely to extend their advantage, with Wimmer thwarted by Zentner when one-on-one with the shot-stopper. Mainz's already-disappointing afternoon was made even worse when captain Sven Widmer was forced off on a stretcher, a loss which could hurt them in the run-in. The result sees them drop down to eighth, while Wolfsburg move into seventh and now trail Bayer Leverkusen in the final UEFA Europa League spot by just two points.
Wolfsburg: Casteels - Bornauw, Guilavogui, Lacroix (Cozza 46') - Baku, Arnold (c), F. Nmecha, Kaminski (Fischer 90'+3) - Svanberg (Gerhardt 83'), Wind (Waldschmidt 83'), Wimmer (Marmoush 90')
Unused subs: Pervan, Odogu, Ambros, Pejcinovic
Out: L. Nmecha (knee), Otavio (ankle), Paredes (thigh), Van de Ven (suspended)
Coach: Niko Kovac
Mainz: Zentner - Hanche-Olsen, Bell, Fernandes (Aaron 46') - Widmer (c) (Da Costa 65'), Barreiro (Stach 46'), Kohr, Caci - Lee (Barkok 61'), Onisiwo - Ajorque (Ingvartsen 61')
Unused subs: Dahmen, Hack, Burgzorg, Weiper
Out: Burkardt (knee), Leitsch (match fitness)
Coach: Bo Svensson