A superior underdog, long outnumbered and a first half that lasted forever: VfB Stuttgart continued its winning streak under difficult conditions and defeated Darmstadt 98 2-1 (1-0) in a turbulent game. VfB consolidated third place with the shaking victory and underlined its Champions League ambitions, the air is getting thin for Darmstadt, who are bottom of the table.
In a duel that was once again marked by fan protests, top striker Serhou Guirassy (14th) took the lead, and after Pascal Stenzel (45th + 22nd) was sent off, VfB was outnumbered for a half to achieve their fourth league win in a row. In stoppage time, new signing Mahmoud Dahoud made the decision after a rebound (90+2), Aaron Seydel’s beautiful follow-up goal (90+5) came too late.
Darmstadt did not win for the 15th game in a row. The game was interrupted by tennis ball throws for 18 minutes, the first round lasted a total of 70 minutes.
At Stuttgart, hopeful Guirassy returned to the starting line-up after his brief comeback in the 3-1 win against Mainz 05 – and immediately made an appearance. Captain Waldemar Anton initially missed the goal after a corner, but in his second attempt he headed a cross to Guirassy, who headed in from two meters.
VfB Stuttgart’s lead trembles over time
Darmstadt reacted unimpressed, after a cross Sebastian Polter put the ball back to Marvin Mehlem, who hit the goal with force (15th). Referee Tobias Welz (Wiesbaden) took the goal back after using VAR; Polter had played the ball with his arm.
There was an interruption, and once again tennis balls and toilet paper rolls flew from the Darmstadt fan block onto the field. As soon as the game started again, the Stuttgart fans immediately stepped up.
The bottom team came out of the forced break better, Darmstadt’s biggest chance had a Stuttgart player: Anton almost scored an own goal when he tried to clear a through pass to Polter (45th + 4). The Lilies pressed in the extra time, Julian Justvan’s shot was just blocked by Maximilian Mittelstädt (45th + 18th). Then Stenzel, who had already been warned, caught Mehlem with his hand in the face and was thrown off the pitch.
Even after the break, Darmstadt pushed for the equalizer with the advantage. Bredlow only let a shot from Justvan rebound, Luca Pfeiffer’s follow-up shot was cleared by Anton on the line (60th). On the other hand, Woo-Yeong Jeong (88th) had a great chance to make the decision, and a short time later Dahoud made everything clear.