Updated on 03/05/2022 20:31
- VfB Stuttgart can still win and, thanks to Sasa Kalajdzic, has new hopes in the relegation battle of the Bundesliga.
- The striker crowned the brave Swabians’ race to catch up with a 3-2 win in their 100th Premier League duel.
Thanks to high morale and the strong returnee Sasa Kalajdzic VfB Stuttgart celebrated a perhaps still enormously important victory in the relegation battle. After a 0:2, the Swabians came against on Saturday evening Borussia Monchengladbach still to a 3:2 (1:2). VfB captain Wataru Endo (38′), Chris Führich (51′) and Kalajdzic (83′), who was back in the starting XI, scored for the hosts in front of 25,000 spectators after Alassane Plea (14′) and Marcus Thuram (35′) ) that Gladbach seemed to have put in the lead.
In the table, VfB moved up to one point Hertha BSC on the descent relegation rank. Coach Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team found new hope. The Gladbacher from coach Adi Hütter failed to distance themselves further from the relegation zone.
VfB started lively on the offensive. Borna Sosa missed a pass from Hiroki Ito from five meters (10th). Tiago Tomás was annoyed that he wasn’t on the parrying Gladbach goalkeeper Yan Summers came by. Plea then showed how it could be done better: After a one-two with Florian Neuhaus, he quickly pulled away. Goalkeeper Florian Müller was on the ball, but couldn’t prevent the deficit.
Gladbach took a 2-0 lead in the first half
It’s about “leaving everything we have physically, mentally, here on the pitch and trying to win the game,” Matarazzo said in a Sky interview before the game. His hope on the offensive is Kalajdzic. After his calf problems, in Hoffenheim he had only been substituted on, the Austrian started from the start this time. But Kalajdzic also missed a good chance with a header (24′).
On the other side, the guests showed the efficiency that VfB lacked in the next fine attack: Thuram, who was lurking behind Sosa, executed Plea’s pass into the six-yard box. However, the Swabians were not shocked by the 0:2 and at least tried successfully before the break. Endo came back after a failed attempt by Rami Bensebaini to clear the ball.
After the change of sides, the Stuttgarters quickly nurtured the fans’ hopes: Führich only had to dust off Kalajdzic’s cross with a header. The offensive player had recovered in time after his knee injury. The table penultimate was then the better team, but did not reward themselves: Tiago Tomás failed free-standing to Sommer (67th). Little came from the Gladbachers until Neuhaus tested VfB keeper Müller (71st). Omar Marmoush failed with a header for VfB (79′), then Kalajdzic’s goal caused thunderous celebrations in the Stuttgart stadium. (dpa/fra)