Negative streaks continue
Ermedin Demirovic saved VfB Stuttgart from a home defeat against the struggling TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and snatched a possible victory from the under-pressure TSG coach Pellegrino Matarazzo. In the last action of the game, the VfB striker failed with his hand penalty at the hands of aspiring Hoffenheim national goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, but scored in the follow-up shot in the 9th minute of added time to make the final score 1:1 (0:1).
Hoffenheim’s Kevin Akpoguma got the ball on his arm in stoppage time – according to the video images, referee Harm Osmers pointed to the spot. Thanks to Valentin Gendrey (45th minute), Hoffenheim put Hoffenheim in the lead in front of 58,000 spectators. On the other hand, like in the 1-1 draw in the Champions League against Sparta Prague, VfB missed the home win they were aiming for, is stuck in mid-table for the time being and missed the connection to the top third of the table. Only one of the last five games was won.
Not VfB goalkeeper Alexander Nübel, but TSG keeper Baumann is traveling to the national team meeting this Monday in Herzogenaurach, Franconia, with a win before the Nations League double pack against Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Netherlands. Baumann had received a guarantee for the first game from national coach Julian Nagelsmann as a representative of Marc-André ter Stegen, who had a seriously injured knee. Nübel is also hoping for his first appearance in a DFB uniform.
In the furious opening minutes, both goalkeepers were dependent on the services of their teammates. First, Adam Hlozek had a great chance to take the lead for Hoffenheim when he held his own against Jeff Chabot and Nübel. Maximilian Mittelstädt had to clear the ball on the line for the defeated Nübel (4th). On the other side, Gendrey saved for Baumann after a header from VfB captain Atakan Karazor (8th). It was a lively start after which TSG coach Matarazzo was forced to make a substitution early on. After just a quarter of an hour, Arthur Chaves came on for Tim Drexler, who was injured after a collision.
After the eventful first few minutes, the pace slowed. Most of the action shifted to Hoffenheim’s half defending with concentration. The Swabians had significantly more possession of the ball, but only a few good opportunities: Baumann was there to counter Mittelstädt’s long-range shot (33′). After the subsequent corner, the left-back’s shot flew just past the goal to the left (34′). In addition, Stuttgart’s national striker Deniz Undav headed over the goal from five meters (40th).
VfB had five of its six professionals in the DFB squad in the starting line-up, with only Chris Führich only coming in at half-time. Of all the Nagelsmann contingent, Mittelstädt, who had previously been conspicuous, made a decisive mistake. He couldn’t control Hoffenheim’s Andrej Kramaric’s pass, so Gendrey got the ball and appeared free in front of Nübel. The Stuttgart goalkeeper had not been able to distinguish himself before – and was then defeated. The visitors’ lead came as a surprise.
Even after the break, VfB dominated the game and tried to equalize. However, the actions were often too imprecise. El Bilal Touré didn’t pose any major problems for Baumann after an hour. Numerous offensive changes by VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß had no effect – until the penalty drama at the end.
