New coach Heimsieg fails to deliver results for Wolfsburg in his debut season

VfL Wolfsburg and FSV Mainz 05 played out a 1-1 draw in a closely contested match at the Volkswagen Arena.

Wolfsburg took the lead early on, with newcomer Aaron Zehnter scoring the opening goal in the 9th minute, assisted by Lovro Majer. The hosts looked to capitalise on their advantage, but Mainz managed to hold on and avoid a poor start to the league.

Mainz gained momentum from their 4:1 win over Rosenborg Trondheim and equalised in the 90th minute through a penalty scored by Nadiem Amiri. The spot-kick was awarded after Wolfsburg's Konstantinos Koulierakis handled the ball in the penalty area.

The first half saw Wolfsburg retreating and looking for counters, while Mainz had more possession but struggled to create clear chances. Mainz coach Bo Henriksen started with Nelson Weiper up front, but the striker found it difficult to make an impact against Wolfsburg's robust defence.

Wolfsburg remains unbeaten under new coach Paul Simonis, but the team is still winless at home this season. The visitors came close to winning the match in extra time, but Wolfsburg's crossbar saved the day.

Referee Sören Storks did not award a penalty to Mainz despite a handball situation involving Wolfsburg's Vinicius de Souza Costa in the early stages. Mattias Svanberg was shown a red card in the 90+10 minute of the match.

Wolfsburg is reportedly interested in Mohamed Amoura, but found the €40 million asking price too high. The team is also considering potential transfer candidates such as Patrick Wimmer. Mainz, on the other hand, is close to signing William Bøving, a 22-year-old Danish striker currently playing for Sturm Graz in Austria, for around €3 million.

Robin Zentner, Mainz goalkeeper, described the game as an "energy performance." Despite the draw, both teams will be looking to build on this result as the Bundesliga season continues.