Wind powers Wolfsburg to 4-3 win after trailing Mainz three times in Bundesliga thriller

WOLFSBURG, Germany (AP) — Wolfsburg moved into fifth spot in the Bundesliga on Sunday when a late double from Jonas Wind powered his team to a memorable 4-3 win over Mainz at the Volkswagen Arena.

The Denmark forward replaced Patrick Wimmer at halftime and scored in the 84th and fourth minute of stoppage time to extend Wolfsburg’s unbeaten run to eight games.

The result was all the more impressive given that Mainz was the better side in the first half and took the lead three times.

Paul Nebel put the visitors ahead after 11 minutes only for Mohamed Amoura to equalize eight minutes later.

Jonathan Burkardt bundled home from close range to give Mainz the lead again six minutes before the interval but Andreas Hanche-Olsen deflected Tiago Tomas' shot into his own net to bring the scores level 12 minutes into the second half.

Nebel’s second goal midway through the second half made it 3-2 for Mainz but the day belonged to Wind who showed impressive instincts in front of goal.

His first was a scorcher from 18 yards out and his second a header from a deep cross.

Hoffenheim snapped a three-game losing streak when Tom Bischof rescued a point at home to Freiburg in a 1-1 draw.

Christian Ilzer’s team came into the game after consecutive losses in the Europa League, the Bundesliga and the German Cup, and went behind midway through the second half when Matthias Ginter stabbed home a cross from Vincenzo Grifo.

But the 19-year-old Bischof secured a share of the points when he fired a low shot into the net with 17 minutes remaining. It was his second goal in three games.

The result leaves Freiburg in seventh place, equal on 21 points with the two teams above it, Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund.

Hoffenheim is 14th.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Hoffenheim's Valentin Gendrey, left, and Freiburg's Michael Gregoritsch fight for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and SC Freiburg at the PreZero Arena, in Sinsheim, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)

Freiburg's Ritsu Doan, left, and Hoffenheim's Alexander Prass fight for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and SC Freiburg at the PreZero Arena, in Sinsheim, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)

Wolfsburg's Tiago Tomas, left, celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and FSV Mainz 05 at the Volkswagen Arena, in Wolfsburg, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Swen Pförtner/dpa via AP)

Wolfsburg's Jonas Wind celebrates after scoring during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and FSV Mainz 05 at the Volkswagen Arena, in Wolfsburg, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Swen Pförtner/dpa via AP)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA’s first medical evacuation.

SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the International Space Station.

“It’s so good to be home,” said NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, the capsule commander.

It was an unexpected finish to a mission that began in August and left the orbiting lab with only one American and two Russians on board. NASA and SpaceX said they would try to move up the launch of a fresh crew of four; liftoff is currently targeted for mid-February.

Cardman and NASA’s Mike Fincke were joined on the return by Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. Officials have refused to identify the astronaut who had the health problem or explain what happened, citing medical privacy.

While the astronaut was stable in orbit, NASA wanted them back on Earth as soon as possible to receive proper care and diagnostic testing. The entry and splashdown required no special changes or accommodations, officials said, and the recovery ship had its usual allotment of medical experts on board. It was not immediately known when the astronauts would fly from California to their home base in Houston. Platonov’s return to Moscow was also unclear.

NASA stressed repeatedly over the past week that this was not an emergency. The astronaut fell sick or was injured on Jan. 7, prompting NASA to call off the next day’s spacewalk by Cardman and Fincke, and ultimately resulting in the early return. It was the first time NASA cut short a spaceflight for medical reasons. The Russians had done so decades ago.

The space station has gotten by with three astronauts before, sometimes even with just two. NASA said it will be unable to perform a spacewalk, even for an emergency, until the arrival of the next crew, which has two Americans, one French and one Russian astronaut.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

This screengrab from video provided by NASA TV shows the SpaceX Dragon departing from the International Space Station shortly after undocking with four NASA Crew-11 members inside on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This photo provided by NASA shows clockwise from bottom left are, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui gathering for a crew portrait wearing their Dragon pressure suits during a suit verification check inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows recovery vessels approaching the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 capsule to evacuate one of the crew members after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)