Wolfsburg dare to dream after reaching Champions League quarters for first time
Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs admitted it was beyond his wildest dreams to have reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in the club’s history. Andre Schurrle fired the Germans into the last eight with the only goal in Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Gent in the second leg […]

Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs admitted it was beyond his wildest dreams to have reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in the club’s history.

Andre Schurrle fired the Germans into the last eight with the only goal in Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Gent in the second leg of their last 16 tie that took them through 4-2 on aggregate.

“It’s sensational,” beamed Allofs.

“At the beginning of the season, we never thought we’d get this far.

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“It was a strange game. At the start we were very reserved and didn’t find our game. We still had Saturday’s match (a 2-1 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach) in our bones.

“We hadn’t wanted to take any big risks or invite any counter-attacks, but we managed to keep the tempo up and to get the goal.”

Having lost the first leg 3-2 at home, Gent came to the Volkswagen Arena needing to score at least twice but Schurrle ended their hopes with a goal 16 minutes from time.

It was his Germany team-mate Julian Draxler, who scored twice in the first leg, who danced around Gent defender Nana Asare to provide the cross which Schurrle drilled home.

It capped a fine seven days for the Germany winger after Schurrle hit his first Bundesliga hat-trick the previous Tuesday in a 4-0 romp over Hanover.

Hitting the winner against Gent will further raise his stock at Wolfsburg, who are now seventh — four points from a Champions League place next season — in Germany’s top flight.

“It was a tough match. We wanted to defend well and wait for our chances. In the end, the win was deserved,” said Schurrle.

“We definitely didn’t play our best game.

“But thank god it worked out and we deserved to go through as Gent didn’t really have a chance to score over the 90 minutes.

“I knew that my time would come and I am happy that I seem to be on a good run.”

Wolfsburg’s Germany striker Max Kruse admitted the hosts had initially struggled against the Belgian champions, who were restricted to just six shots on goal.

“We knew it would be difficult, but over the course of the two games we showed our quality,” said Kruse.

“We had a few problems with Gent’s system and we could have played a bit better all in all.”

After the match, Wolfsburg’s playmaker Draxler revealed he had only been able to play thanks to painkilling tablets after a dead leg in the first half.

The 22-year-old was unsure whether he will be fit for Wolfsburg’s league game against Hoffenheim on Saturday as Dieter Hecking’s side look to close in further on the top four in the Bundesliga.

“I hope that I can play, but at the moment I can’t say,” said Draxler.