15:30 Kickoffs: Stuttgart topple Bayern, Dortmund crush Augsburg, Bremen clinch safety
A relegation race battle between Bremen and Borussia Mönchengladbach ended in a 2-2 draw. The point gained is enough for Bremen to ensure another season of Bundesliga football. Gladbach received a little help in their own quest to avoid the relegation playoffs, but are by no means rescued.
| Photo: VfB Stuttgart |
Sebastian Hoeneß' VfB Stuttgart were able to make a profound statement against Germany's record champs on Saturday afternoon at the MHP Arena. After dominating visiting Bayern München over the course of 90 minutes, two late goals enabled the Swabians to dig out a 3-1 victory. Tomas Tuchel's heavily rotated FCB had the misfortunate to lose two reliable regulars to injury over the course of the match, making the defeat doubly bitter.
As compared to the XI that lined up against Real Madrid in the Champions' League on Tuesday, Tuchel rotated in six new players. Alphonso Davies, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Raphaël Guerreiro, Serge Gnabry, Eric Maxim Choupo Moting, and Mathys Tel started in place of Noussair Mazraoui, Konrad Laimer, Leon Goretzka, Thomas Müller, Leroy Sané, and Jamal Musiala. Hoeneß made two changes to the side that drew Leverkusen last Saturday night. Anthony Rouault and the returning Angelo Stiller took over for Maximilian Mittelstädt and Enzo Millot.
Stuttgart had the better chances over the course ot the opening quarter-of-an-hour. Chris Führich forced a tough save out of Manuel Neuer in the 10th. Serhou Guirassy also received the ball in some promising spaces on a pair of occasions, yet couldn't find the right finish. Several injury timeouts impeded the flow of the game after the 15-minute-mark. Guerreiro had to exit proceedings with muscular problems. FCB defender Eric Dier incurred a laceration clearing a ball off the line, yet was able to continue with a turban wrap.
Dier ended up clearing Stuttgart's best chance to score away with his head in the 28th. The Englishman nevertheless required treatment on the sidelines. after clearing Serhou Guirassy's volleyed effort off the line in the 28th. Dier's cuts were exposed again as a result of the play. Bayern were then caught off guard on a throw-in in the 29th. Stergiou and Deniz Undav completed nice combo on the 1-0. Guirassy again had the chance to score in the 34th, but the Frenchman couldn't help his team increase their advantage by failed to get a clean strike on the ball again.
Bayern equalized through what will surely prove one of the most controversial calls of the season. Waldemar Anton was adjudged to have fouled Gnabry in the box in the 35th. The VAR video review team alerted match official Tobias Welz to a potential penalty. Welz awarded the spot kick without checking the scene himself on the video monitor. Replays confirmed that Anton's contact with Gnabry - in the face - was very light and probably didn't merit a penalty. Gnabry embellished the scene rather dramatically.
In any event, Harry Kane was able to draw Bayern level from the spot in the in the 37th. Unfortunately for all those observing the match, players on both sides tried to catch the refereeing team with dives in the final minutes of the opening 45. No further fouls were awarded and the first-half concluded with a 1-1 scoreline. Dier remaining in the Bayern cabin at the start of the second half, with Upamecano taking the injured Englishman's place. The two teams traded chances during a lively start to the second half. Once again, the better scoring opportunities belonged to the Swabians.
Amid many interruptions and substitutions, matters slowed up considerably as the match wore on. Führich and Kane had chances to put their respective sides in the lead, but there wasn't anything really major until FCB sub Bryan Zaragoza livened things up a bit near the 80-minute-mark. It would be a pair of Stuttgart subs who ultimately made the difference. VfB attackers Silas and Woo-Yeong Jeong combined to score the 2-1 in the 83rd.
Jeong's first Bundesliga goal in the colors of the club he moved to this summer was a lovely headed finish of a Silas cross from a very acute angle. Silas himself then scored at 90+3. For all his finishing issues over the course of the afternoon, Guirassy supplied a lovely assist on the Congo DR international's goal. The 3-1 victory pulls Hoeneß' team within two points of the German record champs in the battle for second place.
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga's 15:30 kickoffs, Borussia Dortmund were able to properly avenge their humiliating defeat to RB Leipzig last week. The goals rained down at Signal Iduna Park as Edin Terzic's Schwarzgelben demolished visiting Augsburg 5-1. Youssoufa Moukoko grabbed a scorer's brace, though the German youth international's first tally may be ruled an own-goal after review. Club legend Marco Reus - who announced that he would be leaving Dortmund after the season this week - scored a goal and registered two assists.
In the hotly contested relegation race, SV Werder Bremen were unable to hold onto a 2-1 lead against Borussia Mönchengladbach. SV striker Nick Woltemade's scorer's brace appeared to have the Hanseaten on the way to their third consecutive lead win. A late handball penalty conceded by skipper Marco Friedl nevertheless enabled Gerardo Seoane's Fohlenelf to salvage a point. Despite the draw, the point gained is enough to guarantee safety for Werder. Gladbach - on 33 points - are in no way out of the weeds.
A big 3-0 home win over already relegated SV Darmstadt 98 most likely guarantees safety for Ralph Hasenhüttl's VfL Wolfsburg. The German Wolves - though not officially statistically safe - can celebrate class preservation if Mainz fail to win against 1. FC Heidenheim tomorrow. The northern Autostädter pummeled Torsten Lieberknecht's Lilies with early goals from Patrick Wimmer and Jonas Wind inside of 11 minutes. Vaclav Cerny added a third near the end of the match.
