In an attacking and entertaining match, RB Leipzig defeated VfB Stuttgart, who had been tied for much of the game, 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.
RB Leipzig coach Ole Werner made four changes to the starting lineup after the 4-1 victory against Energie Cottbus in the DFB Cup: Gulacsi, Lukeba, Ouedraogo, and Diomande started in place of Vandevoort, Bitshiabu, Banzuzi, and Bakayoko (all of whom were on the bench).
Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß made three changes to the starting lineup compared to the 2-0 cup victory against 1. FSV Mainz 05. Nübel, Vagnoman, and Führich started in place of Bredlow, Bouanani (both on the bench), and Assignon (recovering from a shoulder injury sustained in the cup match).
First, a heated exchange of words, then Chabot had some bad luck.
From the outset, both teams displayed an open, attacking style of play. The opening minutes belonged to Leipzig, who also had the first clear chance of the game through Raum. However, as the first half progressed, Stuttgart initially took the lead and also created chances: Undav headed narrowly wide from a tight angle (10′), and Mittelstädt forced Gulacsi into a great long-range save (18′).
The draw accurately reflected the flow of the game up to that point. However, an own goal by Chabot, who unfortunately deflected a Diomande cross into his own net, gave RB Leipzig a narrow lead at halftime (45′). Even before the break, Leipzig came close to extending their advantage on two occasions (Ouedraogo, 45+2′; Nusa, 45+3′).
Nübel’s mistake forced Romelu to make the decision.
VfB Stuttgart dominated the early stages of the second half, but Leipzig needed only one attack to go 2-0 up. Diomande, in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, left several Stuttgart defenders in his wake on the right side of the box and, almost without hesitation, fired into the back of the net (53′). Hoeneß reacted, bringing on Tiago Tomas and Nartey for Führich and Mittelstädt, who had looked shaky on Diomande’s two goals (58′).
And one of Stuttgart’s two substitutes didn’t take long to become the star: after a pass from Jaquez in the 65th minute, Tiago Tomas dribbled past Gulacsi and scored the equalizer. VfB had finally begun their comeback, but time and again they lacked the final pass or the finishing touch near the penalty area.
Leipzig proved more dangerous at the end. After Romelu missed a clear chance to seal the victory with a header against Nübel in the 81st minute, the Brazilian redeemed himself ten minutes later: facing Nübel, who was trying to dribble past him, the striker stole the ball and slotted it into the empty net for the final score of 3-1 (90+1).
Next week, Leipzig will play away against TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday (3:30 p.m.). Stuttgart will first face Feyenoord Rotterdam at home in the Europa League on Thursday (9:00 p.m.). Their league campaign will continue afterwards, also at home, against FC Augsburg on Sunday (5:30 p.m.)
