Brazilian striker Grafite scored a hat-trick, helping VfL Wolfsburg beat Schalke 04 4-3 on Friday to lift his side into second in the Bundesliga behind leaders Hertha Berlin.
Wolfsburg did not waste their chance to move up the table and close the gap to just a single point, while Grafite has now scored 17 goals in 15 league games. But Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath was unimpressed with his team’s credentials in the title race after they conceded three goals.
“You could see we are not title candidates,” said the former Bayern Munich boss, whose side have lost just five of their 24 games this season. “If you lead 3-1 and 4-2, you need to close the game down. Schalke exposed some of our weaknesses.”
PHOTO: AP
Wolfsburg are unbeaten at home in the league this season, but that record was in danger early on as Schalke’s Germany defender Heiko Westermann’s pin-point accurate shot gave Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio no chance.
His goal after only nine minutes was canceled out when Grafite was brought down in the penalty area, only to gather himself to convert the spot-kick on 26 minutes.
The home side took a 2-1 lead into the break when Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko kept up his remarkable scoring record with his eighth goal in six games to bring his tally to 13 goals in 22 games. Schalke left Dzeko unmarked on 44 minutes and the sharp-shooter slotted his shot past goalkeeper Mathias Schober.
After the break, Grafite knocked in his second when midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic slipped him a pass and the Brazilian found the target again after 74 minutes.
Germany midfielder Jermaine Jones scored just two minutes later to keep Schalke in the game, but Grafite completed his hat-trick when substitute Ashkan Dejagah picked up a loose ball and forced a two-on-three situation. Although the Schalke defense scrambled back, the Germany under-21 star tried a shot and Grafite was on hand to make sure the ball crossed the goal line on 84 minutes to claim his third goal of the night.
With time running out, former Germany striker Kevin Kuranyi hit a final consolation goal deep in injury-time.
Earlier on Friday, Werder Bremen president Juergen Born resigned amidst an investigation into fraud allegations.
“I give up with immediate effect my role within the club. I do not want to burden Werder. I can assure that I did not benefit to the detriment of the club. But it will take time to verify that fact,” Born said.
Born, a former banker, is the subject of a German federal investigation into the transfer of two South American players.
Born faces allegations of receiving money in an account in his son’s name for the transfer of Peruvian attacker Robert Silva in 2001 and for the extended contract of Paraguayan Nelson Valdez in 2003.
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