Two penalties, no winner: VfB Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen drew 1-1 (0-0) in a balanced game. The Swabians missed an important victory in the relegation battle in front of 46,300 spectators in Sunday’s home game and are 17th in the table with two Bundesliga games remaining. Bayer conceded three days after the 1-0 defeat in the semi-final first leg of the Europa League AS Roma suffered another setback and can only reach the Conference League via the league.
Top scorer Serhou Guirassy, who was loaned out by the French club Stade Rennes, gave Stuttgart the lead in the 57th minute with a penalty kick. Leverkusen’s Argentinian world champion Exequiel Palacios, who was responsible for the penalty, also equalized with a penalty kick (70′).
The Stuttgart team, in which the strong midfielder Atakan Karazor returned to the starting XI after serving a yellow card suspension, were initially determined not to run into a Leverkusen counterattack. After all, coach Sebastian Hoeneß had explicitly pointed out the speed of the Bayer offensive forces before the game. Only gradually did the hosts shift their game a little further forward. Overall, there were hardly any highlights in the slow first half. Leverkusen had more possession of the ball, but no brilliant ideas offensively.
Sardar Azmoun couldn’t get his foot off a sharp cross from Moussa Diaby (8′), and Edmond Tapsoba found it difficult to take a free-kick from Kerem Demirbay (25′). The Werkself, with national player Florian Wirtz initially sitting outside, couldn’t do more in the first 45 minutes.
On the Stuttgart side, Wataru Endo smashed the ball free-standing (17′) and almost 20 minutes later, Guirassy clearly missed from the second row. The picture didn’t change much in the first minutes of the second half either: Bayer dominated without becoming dangerous. VfB, who had suffered a severe setback in the fight to remain in the league with the 2-1 defeat at bottom of the table Hertha BSC a week earlier, shied away from the risk.
Then Leverkusen’s Palacios involuntarily helped the Swabians to take the lead. The Argentinian fouled VfB captain Endo on the edge of the penalty area and referee Frank Willenborg awarded a penalty. Guirassy stepped up – and casually chipped the ball halfway up the middle of the goal to make it 1-0. The striker has scored for the tenth time this Bundesliga season and in his third game in a row.
Guest coach Xabi Alonso reacted and brought on the offensive Wirtz for the defensive Mitchel Bakker. Bayer also needed a penalty to equalize. After an overly tough effort by VfB goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow against Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba and a long review of the video images, Palacios confidently scored 1-1 in the bottom left corner.
