VfB Stuttgart is in a relegation zone two games before the end of the season. The Swabians missed the much-needed win against Bayer Leverkusen in a 1-1 (0-0) win.
The players of VfB Stuttgart stood around dejectedly on the pitch, in the fan block there was silence. The team coached by Sebastian Hoeneß missed the much-needed win in the 1-1 (0-0) win against Bayer Leverkusen and is starting the last two Bundesliga matches from a relegation zone. After the final whistle, the certainty spread that it might not be enough to stay up in the league.
“In our situation, we would have liked to have taken three points. If it had been the 14th matchday, we would have been satisfied with the point. We have to deal with this situation now,” said VfB goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow DAZN after the heated closing stages of what had been a dull encounter for a long time. The gap to Schalke 04 in the relegation place is one point, VfL Bochum is two points away in 15th place.
World champion Exequiel Palacios spoiled Stuttgart’s victory with a penalty kick caused by Bredlow (70th, according to video evidence). “I’ll clear it,” Bredlow admitted. Palacios made up for the mistake he made when the hosts opened the scoring: the Argentine put Wataru Endo in the penalty area and Serhou Guirassy scored a cool “Panenka” (57′).
Wirtz and Hlozek initially only on the bench
Three days after the defeat in the semi-final first leg of the Europa League at AS Roma (0:1), Leverkusen at least kept their chance of participating in the European Cup next season with the draw.
After an uneventful game, coach Xabi Alonso’s team is seventh in the table and has the same number of points as sixth-placed VfL Wolfsburg. “It wasn’t a highlight game. The point division is okay. Stuttgart even had the better chances,” said goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky.
Alonso had to change his team after the painful absences of Odilon Kossounou (muscle injury) and Robert Andrich (metatarsal fracture), and he initially left Florian Wirtz and Adam Hlozek on the bench. Among others, Kerem Demirbay, who patrolled the midfield alongside Palacios, moved into the starting line-up.
Vagnoman misses a big chance of VfB victory
Both teams were obviously concerned with ball control. Stuttgart were afraid of going on the counterattack and defensively they were much lower than Leverkusen, who had the advantage over the field and could have taken the lead early on: After a cross from Moussa Diaby, however, Sardar Azmoun and Jeremy Frimpong each came a step too late (9′).
At the other end, Endo hit the ball in a promising position in the penalty area (17′). Both teams then struggled to create chances.
Involuntarily, VfB, who were a little braver after half-time, finally got help from Palacios, who fouled Endo in the penalty area. After that Alonso brought in Wirtz, but Stuttgart’s boisterous goalkeeper Bredlow was the inspiration for the equalizer: he hit Edmond Tapsoba in the penalty area with his fist in the head. National player Josha Vagnoman then missed the great opportunity to lead VfB again with a header (72′).
VfB Stuttgart – Bayer Leverkusen: The voices of the game
Sebastian Hoeneß (coach VfB Stuttgart): “It was a very intense game. We were a little braver in the second half. I’m happy with the team’s performance, but of course not with the result. We’ll see what this point is worth in the end. Of course we know that we can have to score points in the last two games, but we won’t play wildly forward in Mainz either.”
Xabi Alonso (Bayer Leverkusen manager): “It was a very intense game, also for the coaches. It’s challenging for us to play every three days, physically and mentally. But I’m very satisfied, the team showed the will to win until the end. Of course we want to still finish sixth. But first we can still achieve a big goal on Thursday.”
VfB Stuttgart – Bayer Leverkusen: The data for the game
