VfB Stuttgart caught up with Bayer Leverkusen with a remarkable away spectacle and underlined their Champions League ambitions. Coach Sebastian Hoeneß’s team dismantled the Werkself in their arena 4-1 (4-0).
In particular, double goalscorer Jamie Leweling (7th minute/45th) was never able to get the indisposed Leverkusen defense under control. The remaining goals in Stuttgart’s first win in almost eight years against Bayer were scored by Maximilian Mittelstädt (29’/foul penalty) and Deniz Undav (45’+2).
Leverkusen only scored from the spot: Alejandro Grimaldo converted a penalty kick (66th). Nevertheless, his team started the new year with a defeat for the first time in four years.
Stuttgart is now level on points with Leverkusen
Thanks to the impressive performance in the first competitive game of the new year, VfB, now fifth in the table, drew level with fourth-placed Leverkusen with 29 points from 16 games. Coach Kasper Hjulmand’s Werkself had a bad day.
Leweling and Undav play Bayer dizzy
Seven minutes later, Leweling was powerless after a dream pass from Undav to Leweling. The VfB attacker, who was allegedly courted by Premier League club Bournemouth, really turned up the heat and played the Bayer defense dizzyingly. His supposed 2-0 was whistled after a quarter of an hour after Undav was offside. Shortly before the end of the first half, Flekken was once again powerless to deal with Leweling’s effortless and dry long-range shot.
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In the meantime, Mittelstädt had already increased the score to 2-0 from the spot. When Undav increased the score to 4-0 in stoppage time in the first half, there was no stopping the VfB fans in the guest block. “One more goes, one more goes in” and “Bayer 04” mocked the VfB supporters.
But the 4-0 win at the break was all too reassuring for the Hoeneß team. The VfB coach even experienced his first ever win against the Werkself in his twelfth competitive game as coach against Leverkusen. At halftime, Bayer coach Hjulmand reacted with a double substitution and took Belocian and Tella off the field. Things didn’t get significantly better with Loic Badé and Ernest Poku either. Although the hosts now had significantly more possession of the ball because Stuttgart withdrew, they hardly did anything with it. When things got even dangerous, VfB keeper Alexander Nübel made a brilliant save if necessary.
It took a penalty for Nübel to be beaten at all. The previously strong VfB central defender Jeff Chabot brought down Malik Tillman.
