Nübel and Rönnow with mistakes
©IMAGO
Before their next important Champions League appearance, VfB Stuttgart rewarded themselves for a furious comeback with a win. The Swabians won against 1. FC Union Berlin 3-2 (0-1) on St. Nicholas Day and also made up for a temporary 0-2 deficit caused by a mistake by national goalkeeper Alexander Nübel.
In a wild second half, joker Nick Woltemade (51st/59th minute) and captain Atakan Karazor (69th) delighted the majority of the 59,000 spectators after a mistake by Union goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow. The Swabians rounded off their successful week in a fitting way. They had previously reached the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup. And at the same time, thanks to an increase in performance and great morale, they got in the mood for the groundbreaking premier class game against BSC Young Boys on Wednesday.
For the capital city club, however, the downward spiral continued with the sixth league game without a win in a row. The goals from Danilho Doekhi (37th) and Robert Skov (48th) were also not enough at the start of the 13th matchday. The lively second half was ultimately overshadowed by a medical emergency in the visitors’ block. The supporters of both teams then stopped supporting them.
In a long, uneventful first half, VfB goalkeeper Nübel briefly and involuntarily came into focus. András Schäfer crossed in front of the goal, and Nübel already had his hands on Doekhi’s header. The 28-year-old couldn’t really get a hold of the ball or punch it away, so the ball slipped through him and bounced clear behind the line.
Even after the surprising goal conceded, Nübel didn’t initially leave the best impression when Tim Skarke tested the VfB goalkeeper again shortly afterwards (40th). Before that, Nübel had hardly had anything to do. The Köpenickers, who have been so weak offensively so far this season, had not progressed beyond tentative attempts to take the lead.
The Swabians had more possession of the ball and seemed to dominate the game more and more after the even start. However, they initially did not delight their fans with goal area scenes. It wasn’t until the middle of the first half that Stuttgart started a dangerous offensive move. After a pass from Enzo Millot, Ermedin Demirovic lobbed over Union goalkeeper Rönnow, but also over the goal (22nd). Not much more came out of it at first.
Hoeneß reacted to the half-time deficit and strengthened the offensive by bringing in Woltemade for Leonidas Stergiou. But before the change paid off, the next strange goal was scored. VfB initially cleared a corner, but the ball ended up back at the guests – and Skov’s cross into the center went straight into the goal. Rani Khedira no longer touched the ball with her head.
Woltemade then underlined his demand for more playing time. First the ball came via Millot and Demirovic to the ex-Bremen player, who circled it into the net. The 22-year-old then finished off a pass from Karazor. It was the defensive midfielder who finally made the VfB bench celebrate – after strong help from Rönnow. The Union keeper passed directly to him instead of clearing – the first goal in the 118th Bundesliga game for Karazor. Almost in return, the guests were only a few centimeters short of equalizing again. A deflected shot from Jordan hit the crossbar (72′).