Bundesliga on Sunday
Stuttgart weakens again – runner -up disappointed
Updated on 23.02.2025 – 9:27 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
After three defeats in four games, Stuttgart was under pressure in the fight for the Champions League. But the runner -up could not win at TSG Hoffenheim.
In front of 13,000 guest fans who traveled with them, VfB Stuttgart did not manage to win at TSG Hoffenheim. Despite numerous opportunities, the number of “expected goals” was 2.71, the runner-up only won a 1-1 draw in the Kraichgau. VfB took the lead early after Nick Woltemade was able to overcome the Hoffenheim goalkeeper in the 9th minute.
But deep in the second half, the host struck back through Winterne new Gift Orban (74.). Stuttgart is seventh in the table, but will meet Bayern next Friday.
The VfB started with the goals that had been a goalless striker Deniz Undav as a top. Woltemade, who last hit the 1-2, was also in the initial formation for the first time since his illness. The TSG, who was still strongly weakened in terms of personnel, came under pressure from the start.
The traveling VfB fans made the game almost for the guests-and cheered after less than ten minutes. Undav let the ball go through after a cross from Maximilian Mittelstädt Clever – and so Woltemade could easily shoot in.
It quickly became clear that the Hoffenheimers set up a league negative record: they also conceded at least one goal in the 32nd home game in series. VfB had remained less without a white vest between April 2021 and February 2023.
The Stuttgarters often let the ball run faster than the TSG professionals came behind. With her high pressing, the decimated Kraichgau defense had a lot of problems. VfB varied almost arbitrarily.
After half an hour, TSG keeper Luca Philipp, who again represented the injured national goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, had to save in the highest need: he just steered a shot from VfB captain Atacan Karazor on the post. Then Philipp was shot from Stuttgart’s strategist Angelo Stiller from a short distance.
When the vice-mistake took a first chance at the runner-up, Hoffenheim came to his first chance before the break: Andrej Kramaric failed due to the strong-reacting goalkeeper Alexander Nübel in his 100th league game.
Even after the change, Hoffenheim mostly rushed after. Philipp saved again after a remarkable VfB combination. On the TSG page, the future Bayern midfielder Tom Bischof rarely came to the train. So the attempted attack of the Ilzer team remained.
However, VfB continued to miss a possible preliminary decision. Woltemade alone could have scored two more goals. The guests were punished by Orban’s surprising compensation for a counterattack.