Silas Wamangituka spot-kick denies Lars Stindl and Borussia Mönchengladbach in Stuttgart
Silas Wamangituka scored a last-gasp penalty to deny Lars Stindl-inspired Borussia Mönchengladbach all three points in an entertaining contest at VfB Stuttgart.
VfB Stuttgart 2-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Goals: 1-0 Stindl (pen. 35'), 1-1 Gonzalez (58'), 2-1 Zakaria (61'), 2-2 Silas (pen. 90'+5)
Gladbach were riding the crest of a wave after edging record champions Bayern Munich 3-2 last time out, but Stuttgart went close to raining on the visitors' parade when Orel Mangala warmed the palms of Yann Sommer inside 15 minutes. Borussia returned fire through Breel Embolo, who brought a low save from Gregor Kobel. The Stuttgart goalkeeper was made to work again moments later, getting two firm wrists behind a Florian Neuhaus stinger. There was nothing he could do to stop the Foals forging ahead before half-time, though. After Stefan Lainer had been brought down by Borna Sosa in the box, the in-form Stindl, who had instigated the move with a fine through-ball, found top bins with the ensuing spot-kick.
Nicolas Gonzalez had sent a header wide prior to Stindl's opener, but made amends soon after the restart. Waldemar Anton had already had an effort cleared off the line by Matthias Ginter in what was a furious start to the second period by Stuttgart, who duly levelled when Gonzalez met Sosa's asking cross with a quite brilliant diving header. Unfortunately for the hosts, parity lasted less than five minutes as Stindl's eye-of-the-needle pass set Denis Zakaria in on goal, the Frenchman holding his nerve to slot beyond Kobel for 2-1. Ginter and Sommer denied Gonzalo Castro and Daniel Didavi respectively, but a late penalty decision - confirmed by the VAR following Ramy Bensebaini's push on Sasa Kalajdzic - allowed Stuttgart, and Silas, a way back with the final kick of the game.
Match stats
- Gladbach are unbeaten in 2021, recording two wins and one draw.
- Stindl registered his ninth goal and fifth assist of the Bundesliga season. He has had a direct hand in eight of Gladbach's last 10 league goals, and has netted five penalties in 2020/21.
- Silas scored his ninth of the campaign, but only his second on home soil.
- Marco Rose took charge of his 50th Bundesliga match. He has the highest win percentage of any Gladbach coach to have coached so many games (53 percent - 26 wins, 12 draws, 12 defeats).
- Zakaria scored his first Bundesliga goal since October 2019 - a period of 22 games.
- Gonzalez has scored six Bundesliga goals so far this season - three times as many as he managed in 30 outings across his only previous campaign of German top-flight football, in 2018/19.
Watch: Matarazzo: "It still feels like a draw"
Line-ups
Stuttgart: Kobel - Stenzel (Didavi 82'), Anton, Kempf - Silas, Mangala, Endo, Sosa - Klimowicz (Kalajdzic 57'), Castro (c) (Klement 74') - Gonzalez (Coulibaly 82')
Unused subs: Bredlow, Mavropanos, Karazor, Förster, Massimo
Out: Al Ghaddioui (pelvis), Awoudja (Achilles tendon), Mola (hip), Thommy (elbow)
Coach: Pellegrino Matarazzo
Gladbach: Sommer - Lainer, Ginter, Elvedi, Bensebaini - Kramer (Herrmann 72'), Neuhaus - Zakaria (Benes 89'), Stindl (c) (Wolf 72'), Hofmann - Embolo (Plea 61')
Unused subs: Sippel, Beyer, Traore, Wendt, Jantschke
Out: Doucoure (match fitness), Lazaro (groin), Reitz (pelvis), Thuram (suspended)
Coach: Marco Rose
Watch: Zakaria: "We still have a lot to learn"
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