BERLIN: US international John Brooks and Dutch striker Wout Weghorst netted as VfL Wolfsburg jumped to third in the Bundesliga on Sunday with a 3-0 home win over mid-table Freiburg.

Unbeaten at home this season, the victory lifts Wolfsburg to 35 points from 19 games, three behind RB Leipzig and 10 off leaders Bayern Munich. Freiburg stayed in ninth place.

The Wolves were clinical in the first half, scoring twice from three shots on target, with Brooks firing in the opener after Freiburg failed to clear a corner in the 21st minute before Weghorst showed great finishing to make it 2-0 six minutes before halftime.

With the visitors pressing to cut the deficit, Wolfsburg struck again in the 86th through Yannick Gerhard to kill of their hopes.

Earlier, two goals from Marius Wolf lifted Cologne to a 3-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld in a game between two teams trying to avoid relegation. Cologne moved up two places to 14th, dropping Bielefeld into 16th and the relegation playoff spot.

Wolf gave Cologne the lead with a goal on the rebound in the 10th minute, then smashed a volley just inside the post before half-time. Elvis Rexhbecaj extended Cologne’s lead in the 63rd, finishing off an incisive team move, before Sergio Cordova reduced the deficit for Bielefeld.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2021