AIn the fourth attempt, VfB Stuttgart missed out on a victory in the Bundesliga under Bruno Labbadia, who had returned as coach. A few days after reaching the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup, the Swabians, who were still threatened with relegation, lost 0-2 (0-0) to SV Werder Bremen on Sunday. Jens Stage (59th) and Marvin Ducksch (77th) with a dream goal scored for the promoted team, who won the second consecutive win and improved to eighth place.
The hosts had more of the game, especially in the early stages, but the 16th in the table did not score in the sold-out arena with 47,700 spectators. The series that Stuttgart have had to concede a goal in every Bundesliga home game since April 2021 continues.
The fact that there was zero in front was also due to the fact that the hosts missed numerous opportunities. They could have taken the lead after just nine minutes. Werder keeper Jiri Pavlenka missed a release, but the goalkeeper ironed out his carelessness when Serhou Guirassy completed the shot. Stuttgart, who started with Genki Haraguchi for the winter, continued to press, but were unlucky.
Early setback for Stuttgart
The past appearances abroad seemed to have left an impression on Werder. The guests lost 6-1 at FC Bayern Munich before the winter break and at the start of the new year they lost 7-1 at 1. FC Köln. After a cautious start, they then had an opportunity after fifteen minutes when Leonardo Bittencourt, who had been called up for Mitchell Weiser who was suspended, failed to hit Florian Müller with a flick.
However, VfB not only got into more and more trouble, they also had to accept another setback in terms of personnel. The third important offensive player, Guirassy, was also injured. The top VfB goalscorer this season grabbed the adductor area and had to be replaced after 25 minutes. Tiago Tomás (abdominal tear) and Silas Katompa Mvumpa (calf injury) are also unavailable at the moment.
But it could have gotten worse before the break. Because Niclas Füllkrug steered the ball over the line with his head. However, in the constant rain in Stuttgart, the national striker had gained a decisive advantage with a shot against his opponent Hiroki Ito. The supposed opening goal was not recognized (37th). After the change of sides, the guests cheered after all. Füllkrug, this time as a preparer, found stage with his rather accidental pass. The 26-year-old Dane scored from outside the box.
While the Swabians were able to turn things around in the closing stages of the cup on Tuesday with a 2-1 win at SC Paderborn, this time they tried in vain and had to accept Ducksch’s 0-2, which is well worth seeing.
