Werkself slip to sixth after 3-1 defeat in Stuttgart showdown

Following the commanding 4-1 home win against RB Leipzig, head coach Kasper Hjulmand made just one change to his starting XI, with Christian Kofane replacing Nathan Tella, who was left out of the squad due to a muscle injury. The fixture, which has so often been one of the most spectacular in the Bundesliga in recent years, promised once again to be fast-paced, intense – and a high-scoring affair!

Garcia scores in the first minute – VfB turn the game around

Less than a minute had passed when Ibrahim Maza won possession and sent Kofane surging towards the Stuttgart penalty area. The Cameroonian then played the ball out to the left to the overlapping Aleix Garcia – who slotted it neatly into the near corner to give his side a 1–0 lead (1')! The game continued in the same turbulent fashion; just four minutes later, VfB striker Ermedin Demirović equalised from the right side to make it 1-1. The next chance came from Leverkusen again, with a long-range effort from Maza (17'). At the other end, Edmond Tapsoba prevented his side from going behind with a superb stop from Demirović (24'). The game remained a lively affair even after the two early goals. Demirović again for Stuttgart (27') and Kofane with a header for the Werkself (32') had further chances.

Well into first-half stoppage time, it looked as though the score would be 1–1 at the break, but then referee Robert Schröder pointed to the spot after consulting the VAR and reviewing the video footage himself. A challenge by Tapsoba on Demirović in the box was deemed to be a foul, and Maximilian Mittelstädt confidently converted to make it 2-1 to Stuttgart (45'+7).

Stuttgart extend their lead – Werkself fail to close the gap

How did the match unfold after the restart? It was just as eventful, of course: Demirović netted in the 46th minute, but his VfB teammate Deniz Undav was deemed to have been offside beforehand – so the score remained at 2-1. The Swabians then had a good phase dominating play. Jarell Quansah kept the ball out with a header (54'), Flekken just managed to tip it away with his right hand (57'). VfB pressed on and were rewarded in the 58th minute with the 3-1 through Undav, who converted a cross from the right. The match then became more evenly balanced, even though the Werkself rarely managed to penetrate the Stuttgart penalty area. The game ended 3-1 as Bayer 04 surrendered fourth place.

up next: Season finale at home to HSV

The Werkself will play their final match of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on home turf at the BayArena. The sold-out clash against promoted side Hamburger SV kicks off on Saturday, 16 May, at 15.30 CEST – as always on Matchday 34, simultaneously with all the other games.

Match stats:

Stuttgart: Nübel - Nartey (78' El Khannouss), Hendriks, Chabot, Mittelstädt (78' Jaquez) - Leweling (87' Vagnoman), Undav (72' Tomas), Führich (87' Assignon) - Demirović

Bayer 04: Flekken - Quansah (86' Ben Seghir), Andrich, Tapsoba - Culbreath (65' Arthur), Palacios, Garcia (65' Tillman), Grimaldo - Kofane (78' Poku), Maza - Schick

Goals: 0-1 Garcia (1'), 1-1 Demirovic (6'), 2-1 Mittelstädt (45'+7/penalty), 3-1 Undav (58')

Yellow cards: Führich, Tomas - Palacios

Referee: Robert Schröder (Hanover)

Spectators: 60,000 (sold out) at the MHP Arena