Goals galore as Heidenheim and Stuttgart share the spoils in six-goal thriller

Heidenheim twice led and looked set to claim a vital three points with just eight minutes remaining, only for Deniz Undav to snatch a dramatic equaliser late on and deny Frank Schmidt’s side a famous victory.

Sebastian Hoeneß’s Stuttgart made the perfect start inside five minutes. Chris Führich won possession in midfield, drove purposefully at the retreating defence and coolly slotted beyond the advancing Diant Ramaj to hand the visitors an early advantage.

Despite Stuttgart’s dominance in the opening stages, Heidenheim struck back with their first meaningful opportunity after 20 minutes. A deflected pass from Christian Conteh fell kindly for Eren Dinkçi, who was afforded time and space to pick his spot and fire emphatically into the top corner, leaving Alexander Nübel helpless.

Stuttgart thought they had restored their lead on 33 minutes when Ermedin Demirović found the net, but VAR intervened. A foul by Maximilian Mittelstädt on Dinkçi in the opposite penalty area saw the goal ruled out and Heidenheim awarded a spot-kick instead. Arijon Ibrahimović stepped up and calmly converted to turn the game on its head at 2-1.

The drama continued before the interval. Conteh felled Bilal El Khannouss in the box, allowing Mittelstädt the chance to atone. The full-back made no mistake from 12 yards, levelling the contest at 2-2 heading into half-time after a chaotic first 45 minutes.

The second half initially struggled to match that frantic tempo, with clear-cut chances at a premium. But with eight minutes remaining, Heidenheim struck again. Winning the ball high up the pitch, Ibrahimović surged forward and forced a save from Nübel, who could only parry into the path of Sirlord Conteh. The winger reacted quickest, beating his marker to the rebound and smashing home to make it 3-2.

The Voith-Arena sensed a huge result, but Stuttgart had the final word. With two minutes of normal time remaining, Deniz Undav produced a clinical finish to level the scores at 3-3, adding yet another twist to an extraordinary contest.

Stuttgart nearly completed the turnaround in stoppage time, but Ramaj stood firm, producing sharp saves to deny Undav and Jeff Chabot and preserve a hard-earned point for the hosts.

The result halts Heidenheim’s run of four consecutive defeats, though the draw offers limited relief as they remain bottom of the table and six points adrift of safety. For Stuttgart, it will feel like two points dropped; defensive frailties cost them dearly as they miss the opportunity to create daylight over Leipzig in fifth, ending the weekend in fourth place.