Win over Wolfsburg rounds off pre-season

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Albion rounded off pre-season with a win against the Bundesliga side.

Charlie Hanson

2025-08-09T18:50+01:00

Georginio put Albion in front after 17 minutes. 📸 by James Boardman.

Albion rounded off pre-season with a 2-1 win over Wolfsburg at the Amex, thanks to goals from Georginio Rutter and Maxim De Cuyper.

One goal really didn’t paint a fair picture of the entertainment on show during the first half at a sun-soaked Amex.

A terrific double save from Kamil Grabara after just eight minutes denied Albion what looked a certain goal. Georginio’s first time strike from Matt O’Riley’s pull back was straight at the keeper, and Diego Gomez couldn’t quite believe his follow up from eight yards was palmed away.

Georginio Rutter found the bottom left corner with a well taken strike. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.

The deadlock was broken with 17 minutes on the clock though as Yasin Ayari found Georginio on the edge of the six-yard box – the Frenchman took a touch before firing the ball across goal and into the bottom left corner.

Andreas Skov Olsen was guilty of slicing over a sitter when played in by Mohammed Amoura, with Yankuba Minteh then missing the chance to double our advantage as he headed over from Kaoru Mitoma’s cross.

Bart Verbruggen pulled off an outstanding save to deny Lovro Majer. 📸 by James Boardman.

If Grabara’s saves earlier on were good, then Bart Verbruggen’s stop after half an hour was outstanding. Lovro Majer went through one-on-one with the Dutchman, but his strike struck the shoulder of Verbruggen as he got down low to deny the Croatian an equaliser.

Grabara – who counts Liverpool and Huddersfield Town as his former teams – had to be alert to Mitoma’s near-post drive, before tipping over Mats Wieffer’s header from O’Riley’s corner. The Danish midfielder then saw his first-time strike from 12 yards well held by the Wolfsburg stopper.

Fabian Hurzeler's team went unbeaten throughout pre-season. 📸 by Simon Roe.

Wolfsburg went close to an equaliser after an hour when Amoura was inches away from poking in Patrick Wimmer's cross on the slide, before visiting skipper Maximilian Arnold's thump from 20 yards was well held by Verbruggen.

It seemed to be game, set and match for Albion though with just under 20 minutes to go. Wieffer's ball across the face of goal was tipped away by Grabara, but De Cuyper fired in from a tight angle to make it 2-0 - the first of hopefully many goals in an Albion shirt for the Belgium international.

Maxim De Cuyper scored his first goal for Albion. 📸 by James Boardman.

Arnold looked to pull one back immediately with a dipping strike from 25-yards that Verbruggen palmed away, although there was frustration for Albion as Diego Gomez was forced off with an injury, before the visitors halved the deficit through Rogerio Oliviera da Silva.

It was only a terrific save from Verbruggen that kept Albion level after Skov Olsen snuck through on goal, although in the end Albion were good value for the win.

Fabian Hurzeler's team now look forward to their opener of the new Premier League season, as they take on Fulham next Saturday at the Amex.