VfL Wolfsburg's Brazilian striker Grafite headed two goals to secure a 2-1 home win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday, leaving the visitors to rue an extraordinary miss by striker Papiss Demba Cisse. The Bundesliga's top scorer, who netted Freiburg's goal, steered the ball wide of an empty net early in the second half to waste a glorious chance to put his team ahead.
Wolfsburg notched their third successive win as they continued to recover from a terrible start to the season in which former England manager Steve McClaren's side lost their first three games.
The 2009 champions climbed to sixth with nine points from six matches, ahead of their opponents on goal difference. Mainz 05 lead the table with a maximum 18 points after Saturday's 2-1 win at champions Bayern Munich.
Hanover 96 went third with 13 points after Mohammed Abdellaoue headed the only goal in the 33rd minute, his fourth of the season, to give them a 1-0 win at promoted Kaiserslautern in the weekend's final game.