Bundesliga: Stuttgart turns 0: 2 deficit – wild game in Munich – sports

VfB Stuttgart – Borussia Monchengladbach 3: 2 (1: 2) Goals: 0-1 Alassane Pléa (14′), Marcus Thuram (35′), 1-2 Wataru Endo (38′), 2-2 Chris Führich (51′), 3-2 Sasa Kalajdzic (83′)

If football were a fair affair through and through, VfB Stuttgart would probably not be second to last in the table. A young team, some highly talented, who, despite serious injury worries, are always trying to make an attractive game – especially compared to some other Bundesliga clubs, you can’t shake the feeling that VfB should be in a much better position.

The Stuttgart comeback victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach showed that football is sometimes a fair affair. It was clear from the start: VfB urgently needed three points and he started accordingly. Borna Sosa (10th minute) and Tiago Tomas (12th minute) missed the best opportunities to take the lead. Alassane Pléa succeeded for Gladbach shortly afterwards after an outstanding pass from Florian Neuhaus. Marcus Thuram converted one of the few good combinations from Borussia to make it 2-0 from the guest’s point of view, before Wataru Endo shortened the lead shortly afterwards.

In the second half, Stuttgart temporarily played Gladbach against the wall, was superior in all respects and sometimes created chances every minute. Both Chris Führich’s equalizer and Sasa Kalajdzic’s emotional 3:2 were preceded by missed opportunities – but Stuttgart stayed awake and forced a well-deserved victory that could have been even better. For the time being, that doesn’t change anything in the penultimate place in the table, but the comeback against Gladbach heaves VfB much closer towards relegation. Borussia, on the other hand, is only four points ahead of the relegation place.

FC Bayern Munich – Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1: 1 (1: 1), Gates: 1: 0 Niklas Süle (18th), 1: 1 Thomas Müller (36th, own goal)

You might think that a player like Thomas Müller has seen everything in his long career. But on Saturday there was actually a new experience – which the 32-year-old would have gladly done without. After a free-kick cross from Kerem Demirbay, Müller wanted to clarify, jumped towards the ball artistically as usual – although no opponent was lurking dangerously – and steered it past goalkeeper Sven Ulreich into the net. His first own goal in 615 competitive games. Ironically, when he returned to the starting eleven after his second corona infection. That was not only annoying for him personally, but for the entire team, who somehow lost the thread from this 1-1 in the 36th minute.

Niklas Süle gave Bayern the lead in the 18th minute after a corner by Joshua Kimmich and knew how to use coordination problems in the Leverkusen penalty area – but the guests did so as the game went on. The initial superiority of the hosts was passé. Bayer created chances every minute: Amine Adli first intercepted a failed back pass from Dayot Upamecano, but then hit the right post from a tight angle (42nd) and a minute later the left post. Charles Aránguiz tried just before half-time. Bayern were lucky that they didn’t have to go into the dressing room 4-1.

It took a while before Bayern got their act together. Marcel Sabitzer, who came on for Müller in the 61st minute, appeared free as soon as he was on the pitch in front of Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky, who, however, won the one-on-one. After that, both teams still had chances, but lacked determination and precision – and so the draw ended.

RB Leipzig – SC Freiburg 1: 1 (0: 1) Goals: 0:1 Ermedin Demirovic (38′), 1-1 Angelino (90′)

At the beginning of the season, hardly anyone would have been surprised that Leipzig would be playing for a place in the Champions League ten games before the end of the season – but that SC Freiburg would be level on points at this point and also be fighting for a place in the top four .

Unfortunately, the second top game on this Saturday in the Bundesliga didn’t live up to what it promised on paper. Both teams concentrated on defence, so the game mostly moved between the two penalty areas. Shortly before half-time, the ball ended up accidentally with Freiburg striker Ermedin Demirovic, who tipped it over RB keeper Peter Gulasci into the goal. For a long time it looked as if the Breisgauers would actually overtake Leipzig in the table with an away win. It was only in the 90th minute that RB winger Angelino aimed precisely into the corner and thus scored the equaliser. Leipzig and Freiburg are tied in fourth and fifth place.

Open detailed view

Hertha BSC – Eintracht Frankfurt 1: 4 (0:1)Goals: 0-1 Ansgar Knauff (17′), 0-2 Tuta (48′), 0-3 Jesper Lindstrom (56′), 1-3 Davie Selke (61′), 1-4 Rafael Borré (63′) )

“They don’t necessarily have a run,” Hertha manager Fredi Bobic said before the game against his former club. In fact, Eintracht had lost their last three games without their own goal. But if there is a team in the Bundesliga that is ideal as a build-up opponent in such a situation, then it is Hertha BSC. In the lead in Frankfurt, Filip Kostic had almost lost the ball on the flank – but since two Hertha players did not finally clear the attack, the cross found its way into the penalty area, where BVB loan Ansgar Knauff then headed with a lot of determination scored his first goal of the season.

Open detailed view

At the beginning of the second half, Hertha’s fourth reserve goalkeeper strayed through his penalty area before Frankfurt’s second goal and immediately put the third one on for Jesper Lindström himself. The fact that the tiny Berlin glimmer of hope through the goal of substitute Davie Selke lasted just two minutes before Rafael Borré restored the old distance says everything about the current situation at Hertha. “It’s the most difficult job of my career.” – Bobic also said this sentence before the game. It didn’t get any easier for him and the Berliners on Saturday: With eight games without a win, they are staggering towards relegation.

VfL Bochum – SpVgg Greuther Furth 2: 1 (1: 0) Goals: 1-0 Maxim Leitsch (35′), 1-1 Armel Bella Kotchap (64′, own goal), 2-1 Anthony Losilla (71′)

Not only Fürth, but also Bochum started the season as a clear candidate for relegation. But while the game association undercut the already low expectations, at least in the first half of the season, VfL proved to be an extremely unpleasant opponent early on and collected point after point. Bochum even beat Bayern 4-2 in the second half of the season and only just missed out on a place in the DFB Cup semifinals against Freiburg during the week due to a mistake by defender Maxim Leitsch in the 120th minute.

Open detailed view

It was Maxim Leitsch who made amends against Fürth by pushing the goalkeeper’s rebound over the line after a brilliantly kicked free kick from Eduard Löwen to put VfL in the lead. In the second half, an own goal by Bochum’s Armel Bella Kotchap equalized in Fürth. With a win, the cloverleaves, who were already far behind, could have moved up to six points to the relegation place. But nothing came of it – on the contrary: Anthony Losilla ensured Bochum’s victory with a deflected shot. The VfL should thus have the class whereabouts as good as certain, just that for the bottom of the table from Fürth is now finally out of reach.

VfL Wolfsburg – 1.FC Union Berlin 1:0 (1:0), Goals: 1-0 Taiwo Awoniyi (24th, own goal)

Before the game, Max Kruse’s reunion with his Berlin ex-club was of course the focus. To the surprise of many, the Neu-Wolfsburg player only switched from Europa League aspirant Union to VfL, which was threatened with relegation, during the winter break. Kruse then took it surprisingly calmly on the pitch. Although he won three-quarters of his tackles, in the 86th minute before he was substituted he didn’t have a single shot on goal.

On the other hand, his striker counterpart Taiwo Awoniyi attracted much more attention on the Union side. After a Wolfsburg corner, he headed the ball past his own keeper Andreas Luthe into the net – an own goal that an attacker could not have scored more callously. Awoniyi was also the center of attention for the Berlin team’s supposed equalizer – it didn’t count due to a foul by the Nigerian on Maximilian Arnold from Wolfsburg, a tough decision by referee Patrick Ittrich. That’s how it stayed with the home win for VfL, which is further removed from the relegation zone.

Open detailed view

As in many stadiums, players and fans showed their solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The Wolfsburg team not only wore a peace sign on their jerseys, the center circle was also converted into a peace sign thanks to two additional lines.