Stuttgart score dramatic late minute goal to earn Bundesliga draw against Hoffenheim
Searching for a third league win in four, Stuttgart kicked off against 16th-placed Hoffenheim.
However, it looked like form would go out the window in the early stages of this one, with Hoffenheim almost taking the lead after five minutes when Adam Hlozek danced around Alexander Nubel seeing his effort cleared off the line by Anthony Rouault.
This seemingly woke the hosts up, and they also had an effort cleared off the line when a sliding Gendrey interception miraculously cleared El Bilal Toure’s powerful header.
Stuttgart were full of confidence in the latter stages of the first half, almost taking the lead through Maximilian Mittelstadt, who sent an effort inches wide of the post.
Die Roten were then punished for wasting their chances on the stroke of half-time, falling behind as Mittelstadt’s poor first touch allowed Gendrey to race in behind and score his first Bundesliga goal with a neat finish.
Hoffenheim suffered a 4-3 loss to Werder Bremen after squandering a three-goal advantage last time out, and they were evidently wary of surrendering their lead here, adopting a defensively-minded approach after the restart. As such, Die Kraichgauer limited Stuttgart to few chances, the best of which fell to Jamie Leweling, who fired an effort straight at Oliver Baumann.
Die Roten’s second half was summed up by the usually reliable Deniz Undav – who already has four league goals to his name this season – uncharacteristically passing up two great chances in the closing stages, striking over the bar from close range before firing straight at the grateful Baumann.
After Undav’s near misses, Stuttgart continued to push for an all-important equaliser and their resistance paid off in the final minute of stoppage time when Kevin Akpoguma was judged to have handled the ball in the area after a VAR review.
Demirovic’s initial effort from the spot was saved by Baumann but he atoned for his miss by tapping home the rebound.
This proved to be the last kick of the game as Stuttgart extended their incredible scoring run to 23 consecutive Bundesliga games, claiming a point that puts them two off the European places.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Valentin Gendrey (TSG Hoffenheim)
