Sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth sees the last-minute win after a 2-0 lead against Young Boys Bern as an instructive “reminder” for VfB Stuttgart. After the 3-2 win, captain Atakan Karazor also criticized the way in which VfB had given the game away: “We simply cannot allow ourselves to do something like that, quite simply. We just have to show maturity. Maybe we thought it would happen on its own, but that thought simply shouldn’t occur.”
What had happened?
VfB completely dominated the first half hour against Bern and scored two goals after just seven minutes. Instead of deciding the game early with a third goal, the Swabians gave up control and conceded the equalizer with two goals in the 42nd and 57th minutes. “The lead didn’t do us any good,” said Wohlgemuth, summing up what happened on the pitch. In view of an open exchange of blows in the second half, VfB could have lost, but instead Chema Andrés scored the winning goal in the last minute.
Lack of efficiency remains a point of criticism
After a great first half hour, a new dynamic had emerged “as if it had been cast”, which his team couldn’t really get under control until the end, said VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß.
In order to advance to the top eight and thus move straight into the round of 16, the next three points were no longer enough in the end. The chances were already very slim before the last matchday on Thursday evening.
Unlike their national rivals SC Freiburg, the Swabian Bundesliga team now has to take the detour via the playoffs and will face the Scottish club Celtic Glasgow or Ludogorez Rasgrad from Bulgaria. “We have to increase our efficiency,” demanded Hoeneß with a view to the next games.
