Goalkeepers rarely experience a transformation as complete as this. Zielinski went from making the most damaging mistake of the evening to deciding the outcome of a remarkable DFB Cup tie.
Wolfsburg eventually defeated VSG Altglienicke 6-5 on penalties after a 3-3 draw following extra time. The recently relegated Bundesliga side had fallen behind on three separate occasions against their Regionalliga opponents.
A pass straight to the opposition
Altglienicke took the lead after only six minutes through Jonas Nietfeld. Substitute Maximilian Arnold brought Wolfsburg level with a long-range strike shortly after the interval.
The game then appeared to turn against Zielinski. In the 71st minute, the Polish goalkeeper received a back-pass from Kilian Fischer and attempted to continue Wolfsburg’s build-up from inside his penalty area.
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Instead, he played the ball directly to Jonas Saliger. The Altglienicke winger was left with an empty net and calmly restored the underdogs’ lead, as described by TAG24.
Arnold responded again in the 83rd minute, this time scoring directly from a free-kick. Wolfsburg forced extra time, but another defensive mistake allowed Mehmet Ibrahimi to make it 3-2.
Altglienicke were only minutes from the second round when Hauke Wahl equalised in the 117th minute. The official DFB match record confirms that the fourth-tier club had led after 90 minutes and again during extra time.
Zielinski changes the story
The goalkeeper was finally given his chance to repair the damage in the shootout. The first seven penalties were converted before Wolfsburg winger Fabian Reese missed his attempt.
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Altglienicke now had an opportunity to move within touching distance of victory. Zielinski stopped Sven Sonnenberg’s penalty, keeping Wolfsburg alive when another goal could have ended the contest.
The shootout continued before Zielinski produced a second save, this time denying Ibrahimi. Fischer then converted the decisive kick to complete Wolfsburg’s escape, according to the club’s match report.
The drama even confused head coach Tobias Strobl. He celebrated Zielinski’s final save before realising that Fischer still needed to score, later promising to pay a penalty into the team fund, Welt reported.
Relief does not hide Wolfsburg’s problems
Altglienicke play in Germany’s fourth tier and were appearing in only the second DFB Cup match in the club’s history. Nevertheless, they scored three times and came within one successful penalty of eliminating the 2015 cup winners.
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Wolfsburg had recently dropped into the 2. Bundesliga and entered the season under pressure to recover quickly. Their narrow escape against a semi-professional opponent offered few signs that the rebuilding process will be straightforward.
For Zielinski, however, the evening ended with redemption. His error nearly produced one of the round’s biggest shocks, but his two saves ensured that it will instead be remembered as the night he recovered from disaster.
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