Tears at Stiller
© Imago
Bitter scene at the VfB Stuttgart home win: The Swabians won a Bundesliga game in their own stadium for the first time in almost four months by 4: 0 (1: 0) against FC Augsburg, but lost their midfield strategist Angelo Stiller. After a foul by Samuel Esseend, for which the FCA striker saw the red card, the international had to be replaced with tears. For the DFB Cup final of VfB on May 24th in Berlin against third division club Arminia Bielefeld, this gave nothing good.
Captain Atakan Karazor brought the Stuttgart in front of 59,000 spectators in the lead in the 8th minute. Shooting star Nick Woltemade (51.) as well as substituted Enzo Millot (80th) and Hermedin Demirovic (87th) met.
For the European Cup, VfB can only qualify with a cup victory. At least in the Bundesliga, he ended his series of six home defeats before. The FCA received the third bankruptcy in a row and definitely ended the season in the lower half of the table.
VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß announced that he absolutely wanted to end this “unspeakable series” in the last home game of the season. And his team was on the trigger from the start. After Jamie Leweling had hit the crossbar (3rd) and then failed due to FCA goalkeeper Finn Dahmen, Karazor poked the ball over the line for the early lead.
Only a shortly later there was the next setback for the guests. Eassee Siler climbed the calf violently. Referee Timo Gerach initially showed the attacker yellow, but then looked at the scene on the screen again and pulled out red (12th). Stiller was treated for a long time, bandaged and finally replaced. The 24-year-old cried when he limp from the field. Later he reappeared at the replacement bench with crutches. There were initially no precise information on the seriousness of his injury suffered.
VfB also remained the better team in the majority, but had to make further changes. Both Yannik Keitel, who had only come into the game for Stiller, and the young defender Finn Jeltsch went off the field with problems on the thigh in the 34th minute.
The Augsburgers rarely came dangerously in front of the Stuttgart gate, on the other hand, Woltemade (35./45.+3) missed the possible 2-0 twice before the half -time whistle. Shortly after the break it was so far for the almost two meter tall VfB striker: from the penalty area boundary, he shot the ball from the turn to the left corner. FCA goalkeeper Dahmen was powerless.
The Stuttgart players played in particular in the last half an hour, almost nothing came from the guests. Joker Demirovic met the crossbar, then a millot with a ruffle to 3: 0. A few minutes before the end, Demirovic even went one step down.