Wolfsburg lost Monday's decisive qualifying match against Paderborn after extra time and were relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time since the club took the step up to the German top division in the 1997–98 season.
In the stands, the fans cried. On the bench sat a 27-year-old Swedish midfielder, who had been substituted in the 81st minute, wondering how it had come to this.
"You reflect on a lot. You feel a lot of disappointment, a lot of responsibility. It's almost like a little shame, because we know we shouldn't have ended up there," says Mattias Svanberg.
Big contrasts
Since Wednesday, he has been in Stockholm with the Swedish national team, which will fly to North America in just over a week for this summer's World Cup. The change of environment from Lower Saxony to the Swedish capital came at a good time.
Monday and Tuesday were horrible, they were very tough days. So coming here, to a positive and happy environment, helped a lot. I'm slowly trying to get back and focus on the national team.
Wolfsburg won the league in 2009, finished second in 2015 and won the German Cup that same year. Just five years ago, the team finished fourth in the Bundesliga. Now a new reality awaits.
"You understand that it will affect a lot of people. That's what you feel responsible for. I can handle my setbacks, but it's harder to handle other people's well-being. You know that it can lead to people losing their jobs within the club and such. It's less fun," says Mattias Svanberg.
On the way out?
Are you worried about the future of the club?
"Worried is probably the wrong word. I know it's a tough task. You've seen other Bundesliga teams go down and then have a hard time getting back up. It's not like you automatically bounce back straight away; it's going to take hard work from the whole club - players, managers and the board - to turn it around."
Rumors suggest that the former Malmö FF player will not follow Wolfsburg down to the second division. If so, those are plans he is keeping to himself.
"I don't know where that information comes from. As things stand now, I have the World Cup to focus on first and foremost. And I have one year left with Wolfsburg, so I'm a Wolfsburg player until the day I'm no longer one. We'll have to decide that after the World Cup. As long as I have a contract with Wolfsburg, I'll do everything for the club."
