10-man Stuttgart score last-gasp goal to break Hoffenheim hearts as huge game ends level

[p]After a brace of 2-1 wins to follow a five-game winless drought, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hoffenheim/hQAtP9Sl/"]Hoffenheim[/a] had the confidence needed to fly out of the traps and take an eighth-minute lead in Kraichgau.[/p][p][b]Superb work from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/asllani-fisnik/IsoKFb9C/"]Fisnik Asllani[/a] proved vital, with the Kosovan squaring the ball to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kramaric-andrej/6V0rWuu1/"]Andrej Kramaric[/a], who finished with his usual coolness into the bottom-left corner. [/b][/p][p]However, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/vfb-stuttgart/nJQmYp1B/"]Stuttgart[/a] hit back on 20’, when a quick counter enabled marauding defender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hendriks-ramon/x2tZQYZD/"]Ramon Hendriks[/a] to overlap with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fuhrich-chris/bczcNJFB/"]Chris Fuhrich[/a], who lofted the ball into the net to silence the PreZero Arena.[/p][p]That ‘silence’ lasted all of three minutes, though, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/toure-bazoumana/jqfhZBWt/"]Bazoumana Toure[/a] restored Hoffenheim’s lead when he latched onto a rebound and fired into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the box.[/p][p]From there, the remainder of the half had some brief sparks, but no further additions to the scoresheet. In turn, Hoffenheim went in with the half-time lead in a 14th league game this term – a good omen, considering that they had gone on to win 12 of the previous 13 occasions.[/p][p][b]Hoffenheim drastically strengthened their claims for another win just two minutes after the restart, with Kramaric sealing his 23rd Bundesliga brace – and his second in three matchdays – by converting Touré’s squared ball at the far post, following the Ivorian’s excellent control at the end of a long ball downfield.[/b][/p][image alt="Andrej Kramaric and Vladimir Coufal celebrate" id="8e1a85dc-d0c4-4f4d-bf27-04e38505387c" credit-line="THOMAS KIENZLE / AFP / AFP / Profimedia" guid="84fdef65-60ba-4199-99bd-e35ac3dc25b4" original-width="1400" original-height="933" /][p]With a header saved and a shot that hit the woodwork, respectively, Asllani and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lemperle-tim/OYG8XB8m/"]Tim Lemperle[/a] could well have made it 4-1, although those chances came either side of a Fuhrich shot that went narrowly over.[/p][p]With only the top two scoring in both halves of more Bundesliga games than Stuttgart prior to the round, it should not have been a surprise to see Fuhrich himself play a role in punishing those misses.[/p][p]His key switch to the right flank allowed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/leweling-jamie/UTtpcjym/"]Jamie Leweling[/a] to charge forward and cross low for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/demirovic-ermedin/dIsZ5Eyb/"]Ermedin Demirovic[/a] to fire in at the far post, reviving Stuttgart’s hopes of ending the day in fourth place.[/p][p]However, those hopes took another hit when Stuttgart captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/karazor-atakan/zc2VFBzR/"]Atakan Karazor[/a] cynically kicked the Achilles of a charging Asllani as he gave chase, and Sascha Stegemann did not hesitate in dismissing the Turk.[/p][p][b]Hoffenheim failed to take advantage though, and paid dearly with the final kick of the match. Moments after heading off target despite an open goal, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tiago-tomas/WSswmxBa/"]Tiago Tomas[/a] hit home on the rebound after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/stiller-angelo/0hF2GIXS/"]Angelo Stiller[/a]’s attempted shot was blocked to rescue a point. [/b][/p][p]With both teams now just three points ahead of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bayer-leverkusen/4jcj2zMd/"]Bayer Leverkusen[/a], all eyes turn to the BayArena, with the mutual hope that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/rb-leipzig/KbS1suSm/"]RB Leipzig[/a] can avoid defeat.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/toure-bazoumana/jqfhZBWt/"]Bazoumana Toure[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hoffenheim/hQAtP9Sl/"]Hoffenheim[/a])[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/hoffenheim-hQAtP9Sl/stuttgart-nJQmYp1B/?mid=8G6V9ntK"]Click here for match stats and more[/a][/b][/p][embed guid="6b3e2cb0-01d0-4c32-b6c8-05751a027f49" url="https://x.com/VfB_int/status/2050599883548020977/history" social-type="twitter" /]