Victory in Frankfurt: Stuttgart's run continues thanks to Undav
VfB Stuttgart have halted Eintracht Frankfurt's run of success and remain in the top flight of the Bundesliga.
Thanks to a brace from Deniz Undav (1./45.+1 minute), the Swabians won 2:1 (2:1) on Saturday evening and maintained third place in the table behind Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich with 27 points after twelve match days. For referee Felix Brych, however, his record Bundesliga match ended prematurely after an injury.
VfB even score three times
In front of 58,000 spectators in the sold-out Frankfurt Arena, Stuttgart's Waldemar Anton (26) scored an own goal to equalize for the Hessians, who had not lost in eight consecutive matches. Eintracht remain in seventh place with 18 points.
Hundreds of Ultras were absent from the Frankfurt fan block when Brych kicked off, breaking Wolfgang Stark's record with his 344th Bundesliga appearance. They were protesting against what they saw as disproportionate police action outside the stadium before the game. According to the police, they also used irritants during the violent clashes.
As soon as the game got underway, the visitors were celebrating. Undav scored after less than 60 seconds with his sixth goal of the season to give VfB the lead, with top scorer Serhou Guirassy only sitting on the bench for just under an hour.
"That's the safety option. He traveled home for 24 hours, last time he also came from the national team and got injured," said Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß, explaining his decision.
Eintracht were unimpressed by the early shock and relentlessly attacked the opposing goal. First Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe failed to beat VfB keeper Alexander Nübel with a shot, then Ansgar Knauff narrowly missed the target.
Frankfurt were rewarded for their efforts midway through the first half. A cross from Philipp Max was deflected so awkwardly by Stuttgart defender Anton that the ball arced over Nübel and into the far corner.
Brych forced off in record match
After 34 minutes, Brych had to be treated on the Eintracht bench after twisting his ankle. The 48-year-old was initially able to continue officiating, but Brych was unable to continue after the changeover due to a knee injury. Fourth official Patrick Schwengers took over for him.
At this point, Stuttgart were ahead again thanks to Undav's second goal. The 27-year-old striker had scored with his head shortly before the break. The goal was initially disallowed due to an alleged offside. However, the video evidence then provided clarity and joy for the visitors.
After the restart, the Swabians deserved to take the lead again as they were now the more active team. Eintracht lacked the creativity and penetration to threaten the Swabians, who were confident on the ball.
In fact, Guirassy could have extended the visitors' lead in the closing stages, but the goalscorer, who was courted by several clubs, missed his 16th goal of the season by a few centimetres with a flick.
In the midst of their attacking efforts, Eintracht Frankfurt struggled to challenge VfB Stuttgart's ball possession in the second half, hindering their chances of scoring another goal against the Swabians. Despite Guirassy's close miss towards the end, Stuttgart's defense managed to maintain their advantage, thanks to Undav's second goal and VfB's overall team performance.
As a result of his injury during the game, referee Felix Brych had to leave the Bundesliga match early, and fourth official Patrick Schwengers took over for the remainder of the match between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart.
Source: www.dpa.com
