Fight for the Champions League
Stuttgart’s dream is alive: DFB duo counters Bayer’s lightning start
Updated May 9, 2026 – 5:38 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
VfB Stuttgart wins the direct duel for fourth place in the Champions League. Two German national players are particularly in focus.
On Saturday afternoon, VfB Stuttgart beat Bayern Leverkusen 3-1 (2-1). In an entertaining duel, Leverkusen took the lead after just 32 seconds through Aleix García. But Stuttgart subsequently took control of the game: Ermedin Demirović had the quick answer with his goal (5th minute), Maximilian Mittelstädt turned the result around with a penalty before the break (45th +7). Deniz Undav made the final score (58th).
Thanks to the home win, the Swabians moved past the “Werkself” in the table and are now fourth and therefore have a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League. On the final Bundesliga matchday, VfB probably still needs a win in Frankfurt, as Hoffenheim is level on points with Stuttgart thanks to a 1-0 win over Bremen.
The game started quickly. After VfB defender Ramon Hendriks lost the ball in the center circle, Bayer stormed towards the VfB goal with the advantage, and García took the lead after just 32 seconds. A shock for VfB? Not at all. Demirović had the perfect answer almost five minutes later when he scored coldly down the left after a one-two with Nikolas Nartey. The Bosnian remained ever-present afterwards – Leverkusen couldn’t get a grip on the striker, who repeatedly scored dangerously.
