Dieter Hecking's VfL Wolfsburg got their season off to the perfect start on Saturday, earning a 2-0 win over FC Augsburg.

Dirk Schuster collected his award for manager of the year before the game, but the first-half plaudits all went Daniel Didavi's way after a superb opener.

The Wolves kicked on after the break and were the better side, Ricardo Rodriguez's late free-kick was the icing on the cake.

Didavi's strike the difference at the break

After early concern over Paul Verhaegh, following a nasty clash in the opening stages, both teams settled well and came forward when the opportunity presented itself. Unfortunately, those chances were few and far between. Julian Draxler's shot from 25-yards was easily held by Marwin Hitz.

The back and forth finally brought an end product in the final 10 minutes of the half, all thanks to Daniel Caligiuri's determination. The winger rode challenges out wide, then cut back towards the middle. His cross was cut out, but only as far as Didavi on the edge of the area. He made no mistake, slamming into the top corner to open the scoring.

There was more Augsburg worries over captain, Daniel Baier after Draxler's knee caught his lower back before the break. Thankfully, though, he was okay to continue.

Rodriguez makes it two late on

The second half saw both sides trying to come forward, but the struggle to string anything of meaning or purpose together was still glaringly obvious. There were hopeful shots for the fans to get excited about, yet a very physical game combined with the heat made for hardly ideal football conditions.

Koen Casteels' first real piece of action came around the hour mark, as he was forced into a finger-tip stop to guide Raul Bobadilla's effort around the post. Wolfsburg were then frustrated when Draxler failed to convert from a promising position on the edge of the area; his shot was no trouble for Hitz.

Caligiuri brought the very best out of Hitz with a superb save high to his left, but eventually the Swiss stopper would be beaten for a second time. A free-kick on the edge of the box had three Wolfsburg players standing over it, though it was hammered through a sea of bodies to secure all three points.

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About the author
Jonathan Walsh
SoccerSight IFA commentator. VAVEL deputy editor-in-chief/VAVEL Bundesliga editor-in-chief and writer. Email: [email protected]