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Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig got their Bundesliga campaign off to a stuttering start, with a 1-1 draw away at Stuttgart on Sunday despite a clinical first-half strike from French forward Christopher Nkunku.
Despite 68 percent possession and chalking up 27 shots to Stuttgart’s 11, Leipzig were unable to convert their dominance into an opening day win.
Leipzig got on the board in the eighth minute through Nkunku, who threaded a sliding shot past the outstretched hands of Stuttgart keeper Florian Mueller and into the bottom left corner of the net.
Fresh off being named Germany’s footballer of the year for his contributions in the 2021-22 season, Nkunku was dangerous throughout, often dropping back well into his own half to retrieve the ball and kickstart an attack.
Leipzig dominated the early stages, before the home side got a goal back against the run of play through former Juventus midfielder Naouirou Ahamada.
Ahamada curled the ball into the bottom corner of the net in the 31st minute, celebrating even before the ball went in.
Leipzig coach Dominico Tedesco made several attacking changes in the dying stages of the match as the visitors went in search of a winner, bringing on striker Alexander Soerloth and Emil Forsberg in the 85th minute.
In Sunday’s late game, promoted Schalke travel to FC Cologne.

RB Leipzig held at Stuttgart despite Nkunku strike - World Soccer Talk

RB Leipzig held at Stuttgart despite Nkunku strike

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Berlin (AFP) – Austrian striker Sasa Kalajdzic dampened spirits at Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga title party on Sunday as Stuttgart held the champions to a 2-2 draw to keep their own survival hopes alive.
Bayern were presented with the Bundesliga trophy in front of their own fans on Sunday, but Kalajdzic’s second-half equaliser means they have failed to win in the two games since claiming a tenth successive title last month.
Bayern’s players had already faced criticism for their decision to take a two-day team holiday to Ibiza ahead of last week’s defeat to Mainz, and they delivered another under-par performance against relegation candidates Stuttgart.
Three points adrift of safety at kick-off, the visitors needed a result and burst out of the blocks in the first half.
Omar Marmoush missed an early chance to take the lead on the counter-attack before Tiago Tomas smashed in a brilliant shot to stun the home fans.&nbsp;
Thomas Mueller hit the bar for Bayern at the other end, and was later denied by a flying save from Florian Mueller.&nbsp;
Serge Gnabry finally broke through Stuttgart’s defence on 35 minutes, lashing in a shot from a tight angle via defender Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Mueller put Bayern ahead just before half time, prodding the ball home after an elegant pirouette in the box.&nbsp;
Yet the visitors fought back after the break when Borna Sosa picked out Kalajdzic with a looping cross to level the scores at 2-2.
Both sides had chances to win the game late on, and Bayern’s disappointing evening was crowned when Kingsley Coman was sent off in stoppage time.
Stuttgart remain three points adrift of safety in the relegation play-off place, but could still overtake Hertha Berlin on the last day of the season due to superior goal difference.
Elsewhere, Europa League finalists Eintracht Frankfurt returned to Bundesliga action with a 1-1 draw at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Goncalo Paciencia’s 25-metre screamer was the high point as the two mid-table sides shared the points in an entertaining dead rubber just days after Frankfurt’s semi-final victory over West Ham.
French striker Alassane Plea gave Gladbach the lead after just four minutes when he turned in Jonas Hofmann’s low cross after a sharp passing move from the visitors.
Paciencia equalised for the hosts in breathtaking style on 66 minutes, catching Gladbach keeper Tobias Sippel off guard with a net-busting long-range effort.&nbsp;
Daichi Kamada thought he had snatched a late winner for the hosts when he turned in a corner on 89 minutes, but the goal was ruled out for offside.&nbsp;

Hope for Stuttgart as Kalajdzic equaliser spoils Bayern's title party - World Soccer Talk

Hope for Stuttgart as Kalajdzic equaliser spoils Bayern's title party

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Stuttgart (Germany) (AFP) – Substitute Julian Brandt netted both goals Friday as Borussia Dortmund ground out a 2-0 win at VfB Stuttgart to trim Bayern Munich’s lead in the Bundesliga, but lost three players to injuries.
Midfielders Giovanni Reyna and Mahmoud&nbsp;Dahoud suffered first half injuries while defender Mats Hummels did not come out for the second half.
Reyna was injured after just 54 seconds but his replacement Brandt gave Dortmund the lead on 12 minutes, then smashed in a second after the break.
The away win for second-placed Dortmund trims Bayern’s lead to six points.
However the runaway leaders can reopen the gap and inch towards a 10th straight league title at home to Augsburg in Saturday’s Bavarian derby.
Stuttgart are hovering just a point above the bottom three with five games left.
The match at rain-lashed Stuttgart had barely kicked off when Reyna clutched his right hamstring and the 19-year-old trudged off wiping away tears.
It is the latest setback for the US international in an injury-ravaged season which has seen him make just 10 league appearances.
His replacement Brandt capitalised with the opening goal after Erling Haaland opened up the Stuttgart defence.
The visitors had a huge let off when Omar Marmoush chipped over Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor&nbsp;Kobel but his shot flew over the crossbar.
Dortmund’s luck with injuries did not improve.
Dahoud went off after clutching his shoulder following a challenge while Hummels had to be replaced at the break with a leg injury.
Brandt grabbed his second with 19 minutes left by curling a ferocious shot just out of Stuttgart goalkeeper Florian Mueller’s reach.&nbsp;
Kobel pulled off a superb late save to palm away a shot by Stuttgart defender Borna&nbsp;Sosa, who then hit the crossbar as the hosts pushed for a goal while Haaland had a late goal ruled offside.
This is the fifth straight league game in which Haaland had failed to score – his longest dry spell for Dortmund – amid speculation he will leave at the end of the season.

Brandt strikes twice as Dortmund earn injury-hit win at Stuttgart - World Soccer Talk

Brandt strikes twice as Dortmund earn injury-hit win at Stuttgart

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Berlin (AFP) – VfB Stuttgart’s American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo admits his job involves psychology as much as coaching football in the fight to keep his club in the Bundesliga.
Matarazzo’s side are second-bottom in the table and four points from safety with 10 matches remaining.
“The battle to avoid relegation is very, very psychological,” he told reporters in a virtual interview.
“There is a lot of pressure. This club is ginormous with a big fan base. You sense the need to win.
“The more pressure you have, the more you have to be a psychologist than a football coach.”
Matarazzo steered Stuttgart to ninth last season in their first year back in Germany’s top flight, but they have struggled this term and are on a nine-game winless streak.
Yet Matarazzo is unwavering.
“If I am not convinced that we will stay in the league then I am not the right guy.
“I’m 100 percent confident this team will get enough points.”
He is adamant despite a torrid season.
A shoulder problem sidelined top-scorer Sasa&nbsp;Kalajdzic for the first half of the campaign.
Injuries and Covid cases meant Matarazzo used 31 players over the first 17 games — the most of any Bundesliga club.
– ‘Rough and bumpy’ –
“We had a rough and bumpy first leg of the season,” he admits. “Without making any excuses, it was just a continuous destabilisation of the squad.”
Typical of their fortunes this term, Stuttgart were leading with five minutes left at Hoffenheim last Friday, only to concede two late goals in a 2-1 defeat.
That followed a 1-1 home draw when visitors Bochum grabbed a 94th-minute equaliser.
“Against Hoffenheim, you sensed the fear of losing set in,” Matarazzo said.
“My approach is to never call it luck — it’s about investing a couple of percent more.
“All we need is a win to get the ball rolling.”
The 44-year-old’s path to coaching in the Bundesliga was unconventional.
Born in New Jersey into an Italian family, Matarazzo’s passion for football was ignited by television highlights of Diego Maradona in his prime for Napoli in the 1980s.
“My family were big fans of Maradona and Napoli,” he explains.
“After Sunday dinner, we would go to the park. I would be Maradona and live that fantasy and passion. It was a big part of growing up.”
Despite graduating with a mathematics degree from New York’s Columbia University, the young Matarazzo headed to Europe to play football.
After unsuccessful trials with Italian clubs, the defender played in the German lower leagues.
After hanging up his boots 10 years ago, Matarazzo studied for his coaching licence on the same course as current Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann.
The pair hit it off and Matarazzo eventually joined Nagelsmann’s coaching staff at Hoffenheim in 2017.
“I went overseas knowing that if it doesn’t work out, I’ll use my college degree to get into the corporate world, but never seemed to stop moving up the coaching ranks.”
He was appointed head coach of Stuttgart in December 2019, but this season has given Matarazzo sleepless nights.
“Mostly after the games when you are wired and going through the situations.
“I handle the pressure by knowing there are parts I can influence and parts I can’t. I give 100 percent which gives me peace knowing I am doing all I can.”
– Flawless German –
After spending the last 20 years in Germany, the American speaks fluent German — to his embarrassment.
“I think in German and search for words when I speak English,” Matarazzo admits with a laugh.
“I’m translating what I want to say into English, which is kind of embarrassing.
“The worst for me was when I came back home and my aunt said ‘You have a (German) accent’.”
Matarazzo faces a challenge keeping his players focused, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine of obvious concern to all.
“It’s a big part of our lives at the moment — it’s something you know you don’t want to be part of or close to,” he said.
“When you get on the pitch, you can distract yourself and get engulfed in the game.
“We keep moving forward, stay optimistic and hope for a better future.”

Stuttgart's Matarazzo turns to psychology in relegation battle - World Soccer Talk

Stuttgart's Matarazzo turns to psychology in relegation battle

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Berlin (AFP) – VfB Stuttgart romped to a 5-1 thrashing of newly-promoted Greuther Fuerth on Saturday as defender Marc-Oliver Kempf netted twice in the rout.
Defending champions Bayern Munich kicked off the new season with a 1-1 draw at Moenchengladbach on Friday and less than 24 hours later, Stuttgart ran riot against luckless Fuerth.
Japan midfielder opened the scoring in sweltering temperatures when the Stuttgart captain fired home from a tight angle on 30 minutes.
Home midfielder Atakan Karazor fell foul of the heat and was helped off early on with circulation problems.
His replacement Philipp Klement added Stuttgart’s second when he hit the far corner on 36 minutes.
After the break, Stuttgart winger Borna Sosa claimed three assists from two superb crosses and a pin-point accurate corner.
Kempf claimed Stuttgart’s third when he powered home Sosa’s cross, six minutes before striker Hamadi Al Ghaddioui made it 4-0 with a header.
Sosa struck again when his corner was again home by Kempf, who out leapt the defence before Fuerth striker Jamie Leweling netted the visitor’s late consolation goal.
The heavy win seems to come at a cost as Stuttgart had 17-year-old Dutch striker Mohamed Sankoh stretchered off in the second half.
The league’s other new club Bochum also made a losing start in Germany’s top flight, going down 1-0 at Wolfsburg.
Bochum played virtually the entire match with ten men after midfielder Robert Tesche was sent off after just four minutes for blocking a shot with his hand.
Wolfsburg striker Wout Weghorst squandered the resulting penalty as his weak shot was saved, but the Dutchmen made amends with the winner on 22 minutes.
Hoffenheim grabbed the heaviest away win of the day by routing Augsburg 4-0.
Forwards Jacob Bruun Larsen and Sargis Adamyan put Hoffenheim 2-0 up before French teenager Georginio Rutter came on to grab the third, then set up Sebastian Rudy for the visitors’ fourth.
Union Berlin started their season with a 1-1 draw at home to Bayer Leverkusen with both goals coming in the opening 12 minutes.
Nigeria striker Taiwo Awoniyi put Union ahead with seven minutes played only for Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby to equalise five minutes later.
Star striker Erling Braut Haaland, who claimed a hat-trick in the German Cup last weekend, spearheads the Borussia Dortmund attack later at home to Eintracht Frankfurt.&nbsp;

RB Leipzig held at Stuttgart despite Nkunku strike

Leagues: Bundesliga