Werkself review #VfBB04: Emotional away win thanks to 'magic moment'

Summary: Exciting comeback

VfB Stuttgart hit a clinical blow with their first chance as Ermedin Demirovic put away a rebound to give them the lead (15'). The Werkself then had more possession at times but did not have a shot on the opposition goal before half-time. After the restart, Nick Woltemade quickly scored to put Stuttgart 2-0 up (48') before Jeremie Frimpong pulled a goal back eight minutes later with a shot into the far corner from the right side of the goal. An own goal scored by Granit Xhaka restored the two-goal advantage for VfB Stuttgart (62') but the Werkself refused to give up and instead began an impressive comeback: Piero Hincapie made it 3-2 (68'), an Angelo Stiller own goal from a Victor Boniface cross brought the equaliser at 3-3 (89') – and Patrik Schick scored the much celebrated winner at 4-3 in the fourth minute of added time. HERE is the match report.

Reaction: "Go into the break with positive energy"

A happy Xabi Alonso said after the game: "The fourth goal was a really great moment for us, a magic moment. We gave our all right to the end with three strikers and the players on the wings. We had our problems in the first half but the players produced a very good reaction in the second 45. The substitutes were also right on it, dynamic and aggressive. We now go into the international break and the last phase of the season in good spirits and with positive energy." Jonathan Tah said: "We kept going and believed right to the end. Perhaps you sometimes need wins like that to show the team spirit is still there."

What the papers say: "Madness in the last minute"

The kicker summed up the game as follows: "Thanks to an incredible comeback in the second half, Bayer 04 Leverkusen turned the game round at VfB Stuttgart late on to make up two points on league leaders FC Bayern." And the Bild-Zeitung also referred to the positions in the table: "Madness in the last minute! Bayern make the title race exciting once again! The Rheinische Post wrote about a "a game already thought to be lost" from a Werkself perspective and a "spectacular" win. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger awarded top marks to Jeremie Frimpong and Victor Boniface.

Personnel: "Last-minute Schick" strikes again

Since the start of last season (2023/24), Patrik Schick has now scored six goals on 90 minutes or later and that is only surpassed in the Bundesliga by Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/8). The Czechia international is now the second highest goalscorer in the Bundesliga behind Kane (21) with 17 goals from 23 league matches.

Equally impressive: Jeremie Frimpong now has 40 goal involvements in the Bundesliga since the start of the 2022/23 season. That is by far the top return amongst all nominal defenders in the top five leagues in Europe. The win against VfB Stuttgart saw the Dutchman also score a goal and provide an assist in a game for the first time since October 2023.

Stats: Run extended by the comeback kings

The Werkself have now picked up twelve points from losing positions in the current Bundesliga campaign – the best return in the league. It was also the first league victory against Stuttgart after no wins in the previous four encounters with VfB. In addition, the double winners have extended the run of away games without defeat in the Bundesliga to 30 (22 wins, eight draws) and that has only been beaten in the history of the Bundesliga by FC Bayern from 2012 to 2014 (33).

The key stats in the game are as follows: 57% possession and 16 shots on goal to 11 in favour of Bayer 04, 59% of duels were won by the Swabians.

Outlook: International break then three games in nine days

The final international break of the season is followed by the last double fixture week in 2024/25. VfL Bochum visit the BayArena on Friday, 28 March (kick-off: 20:30 CET). That is followed by the DFB Pokal semi-final away to Arminia Bielefeld (Tuesday, 1 April, 20:45 CEST) and the Bundesliga away match at FC Heidenheim (Saturday, 5 April, 15:30 CEST).