VfB Stuttgart don show serious muscle for Bundesliga as dem hammer FC Augsburg 5-2 for WWK Arena, end Augsburg eight-game unbeaten run for house. Deniz Undav na di main man wey score two goals and give one assist as Stuttgart collect three points wey dey important for dia UEFA Champions League qualification race.
Sebastian Hoeneß men come for dis match with mind to forget dia Europa League exit against Porto FC last week. Dem make five changes from dat European disappointment, but dia attacking quality never reduce. For di other side, Augsburg coach Manuel Baum team don lose dia last two Bundesliga matches against RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, but dem still get seven-point cushion above relegation zone before dis game start.
Match begin with Stuttgart wey dey control game from beginning. Deniz Undav open scoring for 12th minute after Augsburg goalkeeper Finn Dahmen make handling error. Di German forward collect di ball and finish am with confidence to give visitors early lead. Stuttgart continue to dominate and double dia advantage for 29th minute through Tiago Tomás, wey finish clinically after good work from Nikolas Nartey.
Just two minutes later, Nikolas Nartey sef score to make am 3-0 after converting Maximilian Mittelstädt low cross from close range. VAR check for 43rd minute overturn penalty wey referee give to Stuttgart initially, but visitors still enter half-time with three-goal advantage wey dey command di game.
Second half begin with Augsburg wey try to fight back. Fabian Rieder score spectacular goal for 57th minute with powerful strike wey fly past Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nübel. But Stuttgart response quick quick as Deniz Undav grab him second goal just one minute later, finishing from Chris Führich saved effort to restore three-goal cushion.
Augsburg refuse to surrender as substitute Anton Kade reduce deficit again for 71st minute after converting from Kristijan Jakić initial shot wey goalkeeper save. But any hope for comeback end for 83rd minute when Stuttgart substitute Ermedin Demirović, with him first touch, convert Undav unselfish pass to make final score 5-2.
Deniz Undav performance na di main talk of di match. Di German forward score two important goals and provide assist for Demirović goal. Him get four shots on target and him intelligent movement trouble Augsburg defence throughout di game. Him performance earn am highest fantasy manager points (403) and help Stuttgart extend dia unbeaten run against Augsburg to nine matches.
Nikolas Nartey also show impressive performance with one goal and one assist, earning 351 fantasy points. For Augsburg side, Fabian Rieder get 282 fantasy points after him spectacular goal and overall contribution.
Match statistics show Stuttgart dominance with xGoals of 3.08 compared to Augsburg 1.44. Chris Führich na di fastest player with speed of 35.37 km/h, while Fabian Rieder goal for Augsburg get lowest goal probability of just 8 percent. Alexis Claude-Maurice na di most pressed player with 22 times under pressure, and Han-Noah Massengo get best pass efficiency of 2.58 for Augsburg.
Dis win dey important for Stuttgart Champions League qualification hopes as dem continue to chase Hoffenheim for third position. Di team don show strong character to bounce back from dia European disappointment against Porto FC and maintain dia good form for Bundesliga.
For Augsburg, dis loss na setback but dem still maintain seven-point cushion above relegation zone. Dem need to regroup quickly as Bundesliga season dey enter crucial stage. Di team defence need serious work as dem concede five goals for house after eight-game unbeaten run for WWK Arena.
Stuttgart next match go determine how far dem fit go for Champions League race, while Augsburg must focus on securing dia Bundesliga status for next season. Deniz Undav form na big boost for Stuttgart as di season dey wind down, and him partnership with players like Tiago Tomás and Chris Führich dey produce results wey dey important for di team ambition.
Do you have a news tip for NNN? Please email us at editor @ nnn.ng
