VfB Stuttgart
| 1-1 | Maxim | (63. Min) |
Borussia Dortmund
| 0-1 | Piszczek | (29. Min) |
| 1-2 | Lewandowski | (82. Min) |
Martin Harnik
Georg Niedermeier
Stats 
Sven Ulreich in action.
Undeserved defeat
The atmosphere was electric and the performance exceptional but, in the end, VfB lacked the necessary fortune. The current title holders from Dortmund ran out 2-1 winners, with which they will surely be more than just satisfied as the home side were worth at the very least a point.
Reacting to injuries and suspensions, Bruno Labbadia was forced to make several changes to his starting eleven from the game against Frankfurt. The four new faces in the side were Felipe, Antonio Rüdiger, Martin Harnik and Alexandru Maxim.
VfB pressure
VfB won the first corner of the game after seven minutes when Arthur Boka won the ball convincingly in midfield. Alexandru Maxim delivered the set piece and found the head of Georg Niedermeier but on this occasion, there was to be no joy for the central defender, with BVB keeper Roman Weidenfeller gathering the ball. Soon after, Ibrahima Traoré broke free having won the ball in the centre of the park, but Weidenfeller was again alert to the danger (13’).
BVB take the lead following refereeing error
Much to the frustration of the impressive VfB players, the referee made an error which would cost the hosts. A throw-in, followed by a free-kick, set up Lukasz Piszczek, who gave Borussia a 1-0 lead which they were to take into the break.
Luck on Dortmund’s side
Just as in the first period, VfB began the second half brightly, winning the odd free-kick. Following an Alexandru Maxim delivery in the 52nd minute, Georg Niedermeier again got a header in, but this time couldn’t guide his effort on target.
There then followed a curious goal-mouth scramble. From a corner, first Christian Gentner struck Mario Götze on the goal-line with his effort. The loose ball then fell to Antonio Rüdiger, who was also foiled by the BVB man on the post (58’).
VfB head-coach Bruno Labbadia: "It’s a real pity for us. It was a very intensive game with a lot of hard challenges and chances on goal." Post match comments
Maxim levels
In the 63rd minute, VfB were then rewarded for their efforts and hard work. Christian Gentner laid a throw-in from Rüdiger on to Alexandru Maxim, who curled the ball home impressively with his left boot.
The screams of joy following the goal were soon to be replaced by frustration, with Georg Niedermeier seeing red in the 70th minute. With the side a man down, Sven Ulreich made two exceptional saves (70’ and 71’), as VfB looked to hold their own against the title holders.
Benedikt Röcker was brought in to replace Alexandru Maxim and shore up the hole at the back left by Niedermeier’s dismissal. In a hectic closing phase, Gotoku Sakai did well to block Götze and, at the other end, Arthur Boka went close with a flying volley. With nine minutes to go though, Robert Lewandowski was more fortunate and put his side back in front – 1-2. It was to prove the final clear goal-mouth action, with VfB and their fans stunned at being left empty handed at the end of a truly strong performance.
