VfB Stuttgart has missed a liberation in the relegation battle of the Bundesliga. The Swabians, who are weak away from home, had to settle for a 0-0 draw at FSV Mainz 05 after a harmless performance for a long time and even slipped back into the relegation zone in the final spurt of the season before the Weeks of Truth.
Coach Pellegrino Matarazzo’s young team didn’t develop enough penetrating power against Mainz, once again let the few chances lie too lightly – and after a short interim high they have been waiting for a win for three games. The trembling continues, next weekend the hard rest of the program starts with the important basement duel at Hertha BSC.
In addition to Atakan Karazor, who was suspended, Matarazzo also had to do without captain Wataru Endo in Mainz (corona infection). The Austrian national player Sasa Kalajdzic, who had recently been absent due to a positive corona test, moved back into the starting XI as a beacon of hope in the often too weak VfB offensive.
“Emotions and greed” demanded Matarazzo after the latest setback against Borussia Dortmund (0:2) – but in front of 30,128 spectators the guests started cautiously.
Centner saves against Mangala
Both teams waited and saw, the broken first half was characterized by bad passes, duels in midfield and little speed. Stuttgart remained harmless, but made a little more for the game. Kalajdzic (15th) approached the goal with a shot.
The Mainz coach Bo Svensson, who was booked shortly before the break for complaining, initially did not develop their usual power in their own stadium after the last three weak away appearances. Offensively, the Rheinhessen disappointed, but the defensive was only rarely required. Only Orel Mangala (40th) forced FSV goalkeeper Robin Zentner to make a strong save.
Stuttgart’s Führich misses the empty goal
Immediately after the break it was Tiago Tomas (46th) who called for Zentner from close range – and thus heralded the stronger start for Stuttgart in the second half. Chris Führich (51st) did not initially hit the empty goal from 20 meters. The Swabians were lucky when Dominik Kohr (55th) hit the post with his head after a corner.
The game became more lively overall because Mainz also improved significantly. The home team made a slightly better impression after the break and did more for the game. Stuttgart made an effort, but there were rarely clear chances to score in the final stages.
FSV Mainz 05 – VfB Stuttgart: The voices of the coaches
Bo Svensson (FSV Mainz 05 coach): “It wasn’t a good game for us in the first half. We lacked a lot of what we usually do. The second half was better. We also created good chances to score in the second half. The draw is fair.”
Pellegrino Matarazzo (VfB Stuttgart coach): “We saw a fair draw. It was a poor first half with both teams neutralizing each other. We started the second half well. After that we struggled to create chances. All in all, it’s a deserved point .”
