Stuttgart Triumphs Over Frankfurt, Maintains Bundesliga Position Thanks to Undav's Brace
VfB Stuttgart celebrated a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, halting the Hessians' impressive eight-game streak and staying in the Bundesliga's elite.
Deniz Undav netted two goals for Stuttgart, scoring in the first and 45th+1 minutes, making it his sixth goal of the season. The Swabians clinched third place with 27 points, trailing behind Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, while Frankfurt remains in seventh place with 18 points.
Sold-out Frankfurt Arena witnessed the visitors scoring three times, with Waldemar Anton mistakenly netting an own goal to level the score for Frankfurt, which had been unbeaten since late August.
Deep discontent among Frankfurt Ultras prevented them from attending the fan block before the match, protesting against excessive police action outside the stadium. As a response, the authorities reported the use of irritants during the violent clashes.
Upon the game's commencement, Stuttgart shocked Eintracht by scoring within the first 60 seconds, when Undav found the back of the net. The Hessians responded with relentless attacking, with Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe missing a shot and Ansgar Knauff narrowly skimming the target.
A deflected cross from Philipp Max created an opportunity for Frankfurt to equalize, deflecting so awkwardly by Stuttgart defender Anton that the ball landed in the far corner.
Referee Felix Brych sustained an unfortunate ankle injury after 34 minutes and was unable to continue after the half-time break, forcing fourth official Patrick Schwengers to take over the proceedings.
Stuttgart reclaimed the lead before the break thanks to Undav's second goal, scoring with a header that was initially disallowed due to an offside call, but video evidence provided a clear view, leading to joy for the visitors.
The Swabians continued being the more dominant team in the second half, maintaining possession and threatening Eintracht's goal, while Frankfurt lacked creativity to counter their attacks. Guirassy had a chance to increase the visitors' lead near the closing stages, but his close-range effort narrowly missed the target.
In the second half, Stuttgart outperformed Frankfurt, but Eintracht missed opportunities to score and did not manage to test VfB's defense often. Despite Guirassy's late chance, Stuttgart managed to preserve their lead and collect three vital points.
In an unexpected turn of events, referee Felix Brych had to withdraw from the match with a serious injury, and fourth official Patrick Schwengers was asked to step in to complete the game between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart.
