A late dream goal from Ermedin Demirovic gave VfB Stuttgart victory in the national duel and, at least for the time being, a place in the Champions League in the Bundesliga.
The Swabians won against SC Freiburg 1-0 (0-0) and moved past RB Leipzig into fourth place in the table. The Baden team, however, is still a long way behind the European Cup places after the 20th matchday.
VfB had a lot of ball possession and the better chances in the Baden-Württemberg duel. What he lacked for a long time in front of 60,000 spectators was efficiency – before Joker Demirovic struck in the 90th minute. Previously, Freiburg could rely primarily on their goalkeeper Noah Atubolu.
Undav leaves a lot behind
Stuttgart were the much more active team in the first half. Apart from a long-range shot by Yuito Suzuki (4th) and a hit into the side-netting by Derry Scherhant (43rd), Freiburg were rarely seen at the front.
Defensively, Freiburg were initially quite compact, but gradually they came under increasing pressure. After SC keeper Atubolu parried a header from VfB defender Josha Vagnoman (20th), Deniz Undav came into focus.
The World Cup candidate’s exploitation of opportunities has been a frequent topic this season. After his goal in the 3-0 away win against Borussia Mönchengladbach a week ago, Undav defended himself against his critics. This time the attacker acted unluckily again.
Stuttgart’s lead would have been deserved at the latest when Nikolas Nartey’s header was denied by Atubolu, who was again reacting well (42′). Then suddenly VfB goalkeeper Alexander Nübel made another miss, which had no further consequences apart from a Freiburg corner (44th).
The Breisgau team started the second half more aggressively. However, their goalkeeper Atubolu quickly came into focus again, parrying from close range against Bilal El Khannouss (52′).
VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß tried to give his attack new impetus and substituted winger Chris Führich, among others. Three days after their Europa League appearances, both teams no longer seemed quite as fresh at times and the inaccuracies were now increasing.
In the final minutes, Stuttgart worked to make it 1-0 again, but they continued to have no luck in front of the opponent’s goal. When everything pointed to a draw, Demirovic, who was also substituted, hammered the ball into the Freiburg corner.
