VfB Stuttgart
| 1-0 | Werner | (18. Min) |
Hannover 96
| 1-1 | Schulz | (32. Min) |
| 1-2 | Schulz | (83. Min) |
Georg Niedermeier
Stats 
Timo Werner’s goal was to prove insufficient on the day.
Defeat to Hannover
It just wasn’t to be for VfB on Saturday afternoon. The Cannstatt Boys had plenty of chances to win their third home game of the year, but at the decisive moments, the hosts often lacked mere centimetres in their search for a second goal. For long periods of the game against a defensively oriented H96, VfB pushed hard to find a way through, but the necessary luck eluded the home side in the end. The visitors from Hanover made two set-pieces count to earn all three points at the Mercedes-Benz Arena and leave Jürgen Kramny and his men without anything to show for their efforts for the first time in eight games. Personal
Jürgen Kramny was forced to make one change to his starting eleven from last weekend, with Daniel Didavi unavailable having picked up his fifth booking of the season last weekend against FC Schalke 04. The midfielder was replaced from the outset by Alexandru Maxim.
Highlights
4th minute: Przemyslaw Tyton is equal to the first test in the game, saving from a 25 meter drive by Hannover’s Iver Fossum. The Polish keeper turns the ball away for a corner.
18th minute: And VfB take the lead from a dead-ball situation. Alexandru Maxim curls the ball in from the edge of the box, where the Hannover offside trap failed to snap shut and Timo Werner rises at the front post to flick his header home.
Statement
Christian Gentner: "We made two mistakes from opposition set-pieces and were far less effective from our own opportunities than we were in recent weeks. That game was proof that our battle for top-flight survival is far from being over. The bulk of the teams in the league are at a similar level. We are still in a good position though and we want to solidify that in the coming games."
Post-match comments
32nd minute: Another free-kick leads to the second goal of the game – but this time it’s the visitors doing the celebrating. Hiroshi Kiyotake delivers the set-piece and finds captain Christian Schulz, who nets the equaliser at the back post.
45th minute: It’s 1-1 at the break! In the attack, the Cannstatt Boys have been confronted by a well-drilled and tightly packed Hannover defence. In spite of their best efforts, the home side have failed to find the ultimate key to unlocking the H96 back-four. At the other end, gaps in the VfB back-line allowed the visitors the opportunity to create chances.
83rd minute: Unbelievable! Hannover take the lead with their first chance of the second-half, to make it 1-2. Once again it is Christian Schulz on the score-sheet. Przemyslaw Tyton made an initial save from the H96 captain’s header, but Schulz pounced to poke the loose ball past the Polish keeper.
90th + 1 minute: Artem Kravets goes agonisingly close – but no reward!
Summary
Extremely frustrating for Stuttgart against Hannover on the day! The team in the shirts with the infamous red hoop gave their all in search of the three points and were clearly the more active of the two teams over the ninety minutes, but in the end, Jürgen Kramny’s men were unable to make the clear chances they had count. To add insult to injury, it was two set-pieces by the visitors that were to undo VfB. With a view to the busy week ahead, VfB have the opportunity to quickly put this defeat behind them. Now the concentration immediately switches to the mid-week game.
