VfB Stuttgart left the relegation zone with a dramatic 2-1 win over FC Augsburg.
Waldemar Anton struggled to the sidelines to thunderous applause and kept holding his left thigh when he was substituted in the final seconds. With the last-minute winning goal to 2: 1 (1: 1) over FC Augsburg, the defender reignited the euphoria at VfB Stuttgart – and interim coach Michael Wimmer with his third win in the fourth competitive game good arguments for continued employment through the World Cup -Break out procured.
“We’ll do it at the back, where no one believed in it anymore, the goal was like locked,” said VfB attacker Luca Pfeiffer, who felt “just joy and great relief” that “we still got to the scored a well-deserved victory”.
The advanced defender Anton sank the Swabians’ 31st (!) shot in the first minute of injury time for a well-deserved three – and then doubled over in pain on the pitch. Florian Niederlechner (4th) had given FCA the lead, but VfB wasn’t impressed. Serhou Guirassy (15th) managed to equalize quickly, but in the end the hosts’ superiority was overwhelming.
The reward: With eleven points, VfB leaves the relegation zone – and redeemed itself for the 0: 5 in the previous week at Borussia Dortmund. After the fourth league game in a row without a win, Augsburg is only three points ahead of the Swabian opponents.
Stuttgart – Augsburg: VfB misses a lot of great opportunities
The “broad chest” demanded by FCA coach Enrico Maaßen was immediately noticeable when Niederlechner used the first big opportunity to make Augsburg a dream start. Dan-Axel Zagadou carelessly let the striker escape, who then skilfully lifted the ball over Florian Müller into the Stuttgart goal.
A mixed game developed, many fouls disturbed the flow of the game extremely – but the second goal was quickly scored. Borna Sosa found Guirassy with a powerful cross at the far post, who converted his side’s first chance into a count.
VfB remained the more active team, Augsburg relied on the counterattack as they did last time. The different game systems provided good entertainment in addition to the fewer interruptions compared to the initial phase. But Mergim Berisha (21′) for FCA, Stuttgart’s Pfeiffer (22′, 33′) and above all Silas (45′) failed to send their team into the break with a lead.
The trainers were only partially happy with the sometimes wild first half, but the game calmed down when the whistle was restarted. Both teams tried to form a more compact defense, which played into Augsburg’s cards in particular.
In the second half, however, VfB remained the team that did more to achieve success. However, Niederlechner scraped Wataru Endo’s header off the line (69′). Augsburg had problems getting free in the final phase – and not only when Pfeiffer hit the crossbar (86th) but was very lucky. Anton’s late goal was the logical consequence.
VfB Stuttgart – FC Augsburg: The data for the game
