Xabi Alonso celebrated exuberantly on the pitch as his players reveled in the fans‘ cheers. Bayer Leverkusen, showcasing remarkable determination, mounted an impressive comeback to defeat VfB Stuttgart 4:3 (0:1) and maintain their Bundesliga title aspirations, reducing the gap to FC Bayern Munich.
Strong Resilience on Display
Defender Jonathan Tah expressed the team’s spirit, stating, „The air is not out. We did not give up and believed until the end. Perhaps such victories are needed to demonstrate that the spirit is still alive.“ At one point, Leverkusen trailed by a score of 1:3, while Bayern Munich retains a six-point lead.
Goals and Turning Points
VfB Stuttgart opened the scoring with Ermedin Demirovic’s goal in the 15th minute, followed by Nick Woltemade’s strike just after halftime (48′). Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka also scored an own goal in the 62nd minute. However, Leverkusen rallied with goals from Jeremie Frimpong (56′) and Piero Hincapie (68′). An own goal by Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller (88′) leveled the match, before Patrik Schick secured the victory with a goal in stoppage time (90+4).
Analysis of the Match
Following a disappointing Champions League exit against Bayern Munich, Leverkusen’s performance was a significant rebound. National player Robert Andrich noted, „We brought a lot of quality and strength from the bench. After the equalizer, we aimed for the win. A point wouldn’t have done much for us.“
First Half Highlights
The first half was largely balanced, with Leverkusen allowing only two significant chances, one of which Stuttgart capitalized on. Bayer’s goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky initially saved a shot from Jamie Leweling but could not stop Demirovic’s follow-up.
Stuttgart, missing some key players, maintained a solid defense but struggled with accuracy. Leverkusen’s only notable chance before halftime came from striker Schick (21′), and they notably missed injured star Florian Wirtz, whose creativity was sorely needed.
Second Half Turnaround
Leverkusen started the second half with determination but were quickly caught off guard by Stuttgart’s swift attack, leading to Woltemade’s goal. Frimpong quickly responded, scoring to bring Leverkusen back into the game.
Xhaka’s own goal seemed to secure Stuttgart’s lead, but Leverkusen remained resilient, scoring through Hincapie to narrow the gap. Stiller’s own goal appeared to conclude the match, but Schick’s late strike completed a dramatic comeback for Leverkusen.