Guirassy shoots Stuttgart up to second

VfB Stuttgart beat Augsburg 1-0 away at the WWK-Arena on Friday to move into second place ahead of Bayern Munich, who have a game in hand.

In a game that Stuttgart dominated from start to finish, Augsburg goalkeeper Tomas Koubek, playing in the absence of the injured Finn Dahmen, kept the scores level with a series of saves in the first 45 minutes.

However, he could do little to prevent Serhou Guirassy from breaking the deadlock shortly after the break when the Guinean striker latched onto a lofted pass to score his 26th Bundesliga goal of the season.

The Swabians had no problem defending their lead for the remainder of the match, while the home side grew increasingly frustrated with Stuttgart's dominance and possession as the match wore on.

The win moved Stuttgart into second place in the table, one point ahead of Bayern Munich, who face Wolfsburg at home on Sunday. 

For ninth-placed Augsburg, the defeat was a major blow to their hopes of qualifying for European football.