Friday game 24th game day
Sinsheim (dpa) – VfB Stuttgart remains in a relegation zone in the Bundesliga even after the 24th matchday. After a 1-0 lead, the table penultimate lost 1-2 (0-0) at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
With his two late goals in the 85th and 90th minute, Christoph Baumgartner ensured the lucky victory for the Kraichgauers shortly before the end. Hoffenheim are fourth in the table with 40 points, but RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg can still draw level at the weekend. In front of 18,099 spectators, Wataru Endo scored in the 58th minute to give VfB the lead. Overall, it was the ninth game in a row without a win for VfB.
A minute’s silence was held before the Bundesliga game because of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The spectators and both teams stayed in Sinsheim just before kick-off. “Stop was – we against war,” said a large poster presented by both teams.
The party really picked up speed
Then 2200 VfB fans in the away corner made a hell of a racket to support their battered team. Borna Sosa was also out of the Stuttgart team with a bruised knee. The not quite fit goalscorer Sasa Kalajdzic initially sat on the bench.
The first big chance for the initially superior TSG was missed by Pavel Kaderabek with a header – and then the game really picked up speed. Within less than two minutes, the ball crashed into both sides against Alu: First, Chris Führich hit the Hoffenheim post (19′) after a counterattack from close range, then Kaderabek hit the crossbar of the VfB goal. However, his captain Benjamin Hübner should have headed the 1-0 lead just before that.
A week after the bitter 1-1 draw against VfL Bochum with the equalizer in injury time, the Stuttgart team showed the right reaction. Omar Marmoush, in particular, repeatedly caused a stir in attack from the right and tested goalkeeper Oliver Baumann with a solid shot after just under half an hour.
The persistence of Hoffenheim will be rewarded
Again and again the home side tried to succeed via crosses from national player David Raum. In the 43rd minute, Hoffenheim celebrated an alleged goal from Hübner. But referee Matthias Jöllenbeck rightly annulled the goal after consulting his video assistant Tobias Stieler. The VfB fans in the stands immediately rolled up their banner “Abolish video evidence”.
Matarazzo gave a hopeful signal for the VfB supporters when Kalajdzic came on after the break. Hoffenheim first had to cope with the failure of Dennis Geiger, who was carried off the pitch in a daze. Stuttgart took advantage of the momentary confusion and the corner kick: Kalajdzic headed it up and Endo was there at the far post to make it 1-0.
The persistence of Hoffenheim was rewarded: Baumgartner scored with a flick to equalize. Her coach Sebastian Hoeneß, who was German champion with the VfB U17s in 1999 and whose father Dieter used to manage Stuttgart, was even able to celebrate the first win against the Swabians on the fourth attempt because Baumgartner was still upping the ante.