Bundesliga play-off finely poised after first leg stalemate
It remains all to play for in the Bundesliga promotion/relegation play-off, with Wolfsburg and Paderborn drawing 0-0 in the first leg at Volkswagen Arena.
Adam Daghim saw a first-half shot smothered for Wolfsburg, while Filip Bilbija was denied by a last-ditch block on the line, but neither side could find a breakthrough.
Paderborn almost broke the deadlock inside nine minutes, with Santiago Castaneda drilling a shot towards the far post on the turn, but Kamil Grabara did well to punch it away.
Denis Vavro and Jeanuel Belocian both drilled wide at the other end as Wolfsburg grew into the game, before Dennis Seimen made himself big to keep out Daghim one-on-one.
Wolfsburg dominated the rest of the first half without creating a clear-cut opening, with the start of the second following a similar pattern until Daghim's looping header was held by Seimen just after the hour.
Christian Eriksen saw a bending free-kick punched away shortly after, and also blazed over as Wolfsburg pushed for an advantage they could take into the second leg.
But it was almost Paderborn who snatched a late winner; in the 84th minute, Bilbija took advantage after a scramble from a long throw-in and lifted a tight-angled shot over Grabara, only for two Wolfsburg defenders to scramble it off the line.
But Paderborn will go into Tuesday's second leg without Jonah Sticker. Having been booked in the 92nd minute for a tactical foul, the wing-back was given his marching orders two minutes later for a rash late challenge on Kevin Paredes.
