Stuttgart, Berlin share spoils in German Bundesliga
Xinhua, March 7, 2015 Adjust font size:
Last positioned Stuttgart were held to a goalless draw by passive Berlin at the curtain raiser of the 24th round German Bundesliga on Friday.
Stuttgart wait for their first win since September 2014 as ten men Berlin snatched one point on the road. The hosts dominated the game for most of the time but they failed to turn their few chances into a tangible reward. However, Berlin's Nico Schulz had the winner on his foot in the dying minutes of the game.
The "Swabians" worked out the first note worthy chance of the game when Timo Werner squandered a square pass from a promising position at the 6th minute. Berlin defended deep; as a result, they had to wait for their first opportunity until the 26th minute when Valentin Stocker's effort was saved by Stuttgart goalkeeper Sven Ulreich.
Stuttgart controlled the proceedings on the pitch but they remained wasteful on the finish, as Daniel Ginczek pulled just wide with only Berlin goalkeeper Thomas Kraft to beat after the restart.
Berlin's offense remained harmless but they nearly caught the hosts flatfooted when Nico Schulz missed the target after a one on one with goalie Ulreich in the closing period. Schulz was again in the thick of things moments later when he booked his second yellow card.
With the 8th draw of the season Stuttgart remain on the bottom of the Bundesliga standings meanwhile 14th placed Berlin stay in touching distance to the drop zone.
"It is a pity that we shared the spoils after such a dominant performance as Berlin only defended deep in their own territory. Nevertheless, we failed to overcome their bulwark," Stuttgart sporting director Robin Dutt said.
"I am satisfied with the draw. My team showed discipline and commitment," Berlin coach Pal Dardai said.
The following fixtures are scheduled for Saturday: Hannover host front-runners Bayern Munich, Augsburg host runner-up Wolfsburg, Mainz see third placed Monchengladbach, Schalke face Hoffenheim, relegation threatened Freiburg meet Bremen and Hamburg clash Dortmund. Endite