BERLIN: VfL Wolfsburg found out there is life after Kevin de Bruyne, beating Schalke 04 3-0 in a showdown between two highly-rated Bundesliga teams on Friday.

The 24-year-old Belgium midfielder was left out of Friday’s squad with Wolfsburg poised to agree to a reported Bundesliga record fee of 74 million euros ($83.64m) with Manchester City before Germany’s transfer window closes on Monday.

De Bruyne watched the match from the stands along with forward Ivan Perisic, who has raised the interest of Inter Milan.

“We showed we can play good football even without them,” Wolfsburg director Klaus Allofs said. “When you beat Schalke 3-0, it’s a good response. We need players who identify themselves 100 percent with the club.”

In De Bruyne’s absence, Dutch striker Bas Dost gave Wolfsburg an early lead by drilling home a 17th-minute cross before Swiss left-back Ricardo Rodriguez converted a penalty just before the hour mark.

Swiss defender Rodriguez then drove over a corner that Timm Klose volleyed in for Wolfsburg’s third goal in the 61st minute, with Schalke’s back line in disarray.

Wolfsburg now have seven points from three games while Schalke now have four.—Agencies

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2015

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