Europa League
Stuttgart victory in the last second is not enough: VfB has to go to the playoffs
Updated on January 29, 2026 – 11:16 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
VfB Stuttgart only played furiously for one half against Young Boys Bern. In the end a Spaniard saves VfB, but that doesn’t help.
The obligation to win was fulfilled, but the little football miracle didn’t happen: Despite a 3:2 (2:1) thanks to a last-minute goal in the preliminary round final of the Europa League against Young Boys Bern, VfB Stuttgart has to take the detour via the play-offs. However, the necessary support for the theoretically still possible direct entry into the round of 16 did not materialize.
The pairings for the second round will be drawn on Friday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon. The Swabians could face Celtic Glasgow or Ludogorez Razgrad.
Deniz Undav (6th minute) and Ermedin Demirović (7th) gave VfB the lead with an early double strike. Bern scored through Armin Gigović (42′) shortly before the break. After the break, Sandro Lauper equalized with a fantastic volley (57′). The Spaniard Chema scored the celebrated but worthless winning goal in the 90th minute.
Stuttgart had to win to have a mini-chance of a direct place in the round of 16, and the game started promisingly. Undav had little trouble pushing the ball over the line from close range.
Bern’s coach Gerardo Seoane, Mönchengladbach’s coach until September, had warned urgently about the instinctive footballer. But he shone in the next action as a preparer for striker Demirović. The Stuttgart team didn’t have enough, they continued to put pressure on the struggling sixth-place team in the Swiss league – and had promising chances. Not only when Jeltsch’s shot was directed onto the post by YB keeper Marvin Keller, VfB could have increased.
The Swabians had events under control for a long time. But shortly before the break, Gigović’s connection made things exciting again. Before the goal was conceded, the pass from substitute keeper Fabian Bredlow, who was surprisingly included in the starting line-up, landed at the opponent.
After the break, the Swiss equalized, which was hardly thought possible in the first half. During a corner kick, Stuttgart missed Lauper on the edge of the penalty area, who volleyed the ball into the goal. Bredlow later even had to save his team from falling behind before Chema scored the winning goal in the last minute. But it wasn’t enough to advance directly.
