Both Hertha Berlin and VfB Stuttgart had taken five points from the first six matches, and sat 14th and 15th in the table. In search of a win, both teams took risks going forward, but ultimately the finishing from the Berliners gave them a very important three points. They will go a long way in what looks like will be a very congested bottom of the Bundesliga table come May.
Hertha Berlin vs. VfB Stuttgart: Final Score 3-2, Kalou brace gives Hertha win
Hertha Berlin got some breathing room away from the relegation places with a win over fellow strugglers VfB Stuttgart Friday night at the Olympiastadion.
Stuart Franklin
Moritz Leitner gave the visitors the lead in the fifth minute, after Florian Klein broke forward on the right side after getting on the end of a nicely weighted back heel pass by Vedad Ibišević and pinged a ground cross directly to the inside of Leitner’s right boot. Five yards away, Hertha keeper Thomas Kraft was helpless, and before some fans were even to their seats the home side found themselves down a goal.
Valentin Stocker won a penalty in the 22nd minute and Salomon Kalou cooly to level the game at one with his shot to the left side, as VfB goalkeeper Thorsten Kirschbaum went the other way.
Stuttgart controlled the game for periods of this game, and finished with 57% possession, but lacked the ability to get shots on target constantly and put it in the back of the net. Hertha had 12 shots to Stuttgart’s seven.
Kalou gave Hertha their first lead of the match 64 minutes in. Antonio Rüdiger tried to bring the ball forward for Stuttgart, but was caught in possession. A quick counter from Hertha let to a four on two. Salomon Kalou received a pass two yards outside of the area, dribbled past a defender and beat Kirschbaum to the near post from a tight angle. As a reward, he was promptly subbed off.
Hertha added to their lead 74 minutes in, Änis Ben-Hatira curled a ball around Daniel Schwaab and Roy Beerens was able to get a touch on it to get it past Kirschbaum. Two minutes later, Ibišević saw his header go less that a foot wide of the post at the opposite end of the pitch.
A free kick two meters from the byline and five yards outside the box would result in Stuttgart pulling a goal back with seven minutes left in normal time. The ball played in deflected off the back of Sandro Wagner’s head, and it would have been classified as a clinical finish for the substitute had it not gone into his own net.
Hertha BSC: Thomas Kraft; Nico Schulz, Fabian Lustenberger, Johnny Heitinga (Peter Niemeier 65'), Peter Pekarik; Hajime Hosogai; Änis Ben-Hatira (Jens Hegeler 76'), Per Skjelbred, Valentin Stocker, Roy Beerens; Salomon Kalou (Sandro Wagner 65')
Goals: Kalou (21’ PK, 64’), Beerens (74’)
VfB Stuttgart: Thorsten Kirschbaum; Florian Klein, Daniel Schwaab, Antonio Rüdiger , Gotoku Sakai; Oriol Romeu (Martin Harnik 73’), Carlos Gruezo (Timo Werner, 28); Christian Gentner, Moritz Leitner, Filip Kostić; Vedad Ibišević
Goals: Leitner (5’), Wagner (83’ OG)
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