Julian Draxler netted twice as Wolfsburg sealed a 3-2 win at Gent on Wednesday to leave the Germans on course for the Champions League quarter-finals.
The 22-year-old scored either side of the break in the last 16, first-leg clash, with Max Kruse also on target, but two late goals from Gent gave the Belgian champions some hope for the return leg on March 8 in Wolfsburg.
Draxler was superb at the Ghelamco Arena, having also tormented Manchester United in Wolfsburg’s 3-2 win in December in the final round of group matches which condemned Louis van Gaal’s Red Devils to the Europa League.
Draxler’s Germany team-mate Kruse added Wolfsburg’s third on 60 minutes as the Gent defence capitulated and he nearly added a fourth just moments later by hitting the woodwork.
But Wolfsburg, last season’s German Cup winners, lost their shape badly after Gent captain Sven Kums scored with 10 minutes to go before Kalifa Coulibaly added a second just before the final whistle.
“You have to see a game like that through to the end, but we were too unsure of ourselves,” said Wolfsburg’s director of sport Klaus Allofs before praising Draxler.
“Julian is about the best there is in German football.”
Draxler was unhappy as Wolfsburg threw away a 3-0 lead.
“We lost our thread and dropped down a gear,” said the Germany star.
“We messed up a good result and there are mixed feelings. Nevertheless, we have to stay positive. We still have everything in our own hands.”
Persistent pressure from the away side paid off just before half-time when Draxler created a superb opening goal.
He showed why Wolfsburg paid 35 million euros ($39.4m) to sign him from Schalke last August by brilliantly turning Thomas Foket near the left touchline.
Draxler then sprinted away from the defence and played a neat one-two with Vieirinha before slotting the return pass into the bottom right-hand corner on 44 minutes.
Draxler went on to double Wolfsburg’s lead just after the break when he pounced on a mistake in the Gent defence.
The 22-year-old snapped up a loose pass, played the ball between Stefan Mitrovic’s legs and chipped Gent’s onrushing goalkeeper Matz Sels on 54 minutes.
His classy finish took the wind out of the hosts’ sails, and Wolfsburg’s third followed six minutes later when Christian Traesch’s pin-point cross was met in the middle by Kruse, who fired home from close range.
The Wolfsburg striker hit the woodwork two minutes later as the Gent defence again left him in acres of space, but he mistimed his shot.
Gent were surprise qualifiers from their group behind winners Zenit St Petersburg, knocking out Valencia and Lyon, and they finally showed some fighting spirit in the closing stages.
Kums gave his side hope by beating two defenders and curling his shot around Wolfsburg’s Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels 10 minutes from time.
Wolfsburg’s defence vanished and Coulibaly headed their second on 89 minutes when he got in front of centre-back Dante at a corner to give his side some reason to believe for the return.

35-million man Draxler starts dividend payout
Julian Draxler’s debut season at VfL Wolfsburg after a 35-million euro transfer from Schalke 04 was below expectations until he started paying some of the investment back with two goals in their 3-2 win over Gent in the Champions League.
Germany international Draxler was under fire from Schalke fans even before the season started for leaving the Ruhr valley club he had played since the age of eight, drawn to cash-rich Wolfsburg in one of the most expensive German transfers.
The 22-year-old was supposed to replace Kevin De Bruyne, who left to join Manchester City, but instead of delivering assists and goals, Draxler saw criticism mount by the week, his string of lacklustre performances doing little to justify the massive investment.
Until Wednesday he had failed to live up to the hype of his transfer, with last season’s Bundesliga runners-up and German Cup winners struggling in eighth place in the league.
“We always said Julian Draxler is the best German football has to offer at the moment,” Wolfsburg sports director, Klaus Allofs, who lured the player to the Volkswagen-owned club, told reporters.
“But he needs some more time until he can deliver that quality at every game. But he will do it and he will do it with us. I think everyone saw today that he is an outstanding player.”
“I am focusing on my performance and sometimes it works better than other times. But I am happy to be in good form at the moment. My first Champions League double, I think I will keep the ball,” Draxler said.