Fight for second place
VfB Stuttgart puts FC Bayern under pressure
May 10, 2024, 10:41 p.m
VfB Stuttgart is in top form in the game against Augsburg. Above all, Serhou Guirassy, a 26-goal man, provides another strong moment. He even secured a record for the team.
The high-flyers of VfB Stuttgart around 26-goal man Serhou Guirassy are preparing to wrest second place in the Bundesliga from FC Bayern Munich after storming into the Champions League. Coach Sebastian Hoeneß’s team won 1-0 (0-0) at FC Augsburg a week after beating Bayern 3-1 and moved past Munich (69) with 70 points at the start of the penultimate matchday.
Goal scorer Guirassy was the match winner in front of 30,660 spectators in the 48th minute with his 26th goal of the season against Augsburg, who lost for the fourth time in a row and are probably no longer eligible for participation in the European Cup. For VfB, however, it was the 22nd win of the season – a club record in the Bundesliga. But Bayern can still strike back in the home game against VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday. Becoming runner-up is still interesting because second place would entitle you to take part in the Supercup against Bayer Leverkusen if the German champions also win the DFB Cup final against second division team 1. FC Kaiserslautern on May 25th in Berlin as heavy favorites should.
The FCA fought back against the next defeat, but Stuttgart were simply stronger in the sold-out WWK Arena. For the goal of the evening, Enzo Millot hit a long ball to Guirassy. The attacker cleverly took the ball out of the air with his right foot and then successfully finished with his left. In the 88th minute, VfB goalkeeper Alexander Nübel prevented Augsburg’s captain Ermedin Demirovic from making it 1-1 with a brilliant performance.
Things aren’t looking good for Augsburg
After Augsburg’s last three defeats with a total of eleven goals conceded and the 1:5 in Dortmund a week ago, coach Jess Thorup reacted tactically and personnel-wise. The Dane returned to the back four and increased the compactness in front with three defensive midfielders. That helped. The strong Stuttgart offensive still had good chances. National player Chris Führich shot over after a counterattack (13th). Deniz Undav tested FC goalkeeper Tomas Koubek with a powerful long-range shot (31′). And Koubek was lucky to direct a shot from the quick Jamie Leweling onto the post (36th).
But Augsburg didn’t limit themselves to defending in the last home game of the season. They tried with force and speed. Ruben Vargas shot a free kick from an ideal central position into the VfB wall (25th). Shortly afterwards, the Swiss international had to leave the field with adductor problems. Arne Maier took over the playmaker role for Vargas. Defender Felix Uduokhai scored twice more dangerously.
The early goal after the break caused the Stuttgart fans who had traveled with them to set off illegal pyrotechnics once again in their joy. The game was now very open. The Augsburg team ran in the Swabia duel, but VfB documented its maturation process under Hoeneß from almost being relegated to becoming a top national team.