Wolfsburg had faced a miserable defeat last week from Borussia Dortmund with 1-6 but managed to thrash Mainz 5-0 in the Bundesliga. Max Kruse’s hat-trick added to their glory as all the 5 goals were scored by halftime. This win took Wolfsburg up to 11th to make relegation near impossible. 

The win has been a great relief, especially after a disappointing season for the team who participated in the Champions League soccer in the autumn after placing fourth in the last campaign. Mainz’s return hopes were crushed as Niklas Tauer was red-carded for a foul in the box on Felix Nmecha. The resulting penalty was scored by Kruse.  Wolfsburg then went 4-0 up after Mainz defender Stefan Bell shot the ball into his teammate, giving Wind another easy finish. Kruse completed his triple goals in the added time of the first half.