Fanshop
Baumgartner brace seals derby victory
Personnel & tactics:
Head coach Sebastian Hoeness made three changes to the starting XI that beat VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 last time out. Florian Grillitsch and Dennis Geiger, who were both suspended for the trip to Lower Saxony, returned, as did Pavel Kadeřábek, who made his comeback in the starting XI. Grillitsch lined up alongside Benjamin Hübner and Stefan Posch in a back three in front of goalkeeper Oliver Baumann. Kadeřábek and David Raum began in the wing-back berths, with Dennis Geiger occupying the holding role in midfield. Andrej Kramarić and Christoph Baumgartner played behind the attacking duo of Ihlas Bebou and Georginio.
TSG had to make their first substitution in the 58th minute. Geiger was unable to continue after sustaining a head injury and was replaced by Sebastian Rudy. TSG made a double switch with 20 minutes of the match remaining, with Munas Dabbur and Angelo Stiller replacing Bebou and Kadeřábek (70). Rudy moved over to the right flank. Jacob Bruun Larsen was introduced in place of Georginio and charged with providing fresh attacking impetus (81).
Moment of the match:
Prior to kick-off, both teams sent out an important message. They gathered together to hold aloft a banner reading "STOP WAR – WIR GEGEN KRIEG" and in doing so took a clear stance against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Number of the game: 100
The 2-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart was Stefan Posch's 100th Bundesliga appearance. The Austrian has played all of those games in the German top flight in a TSG Hoffenheim shirt.
Line-ups:
TSG Hoffenheim: Baumann – Posch, Grillitsch, Hübner – Kadeřábek (Stiller, 70), Geiger (Rudy, 58), Raum – Baumgartner, Kramarić – Bebou (Dabbur, 70), Georginio (Bruun Larsen, 81)
VfB Stuttgart: Müller – Stenzel (Massimo, 73), Mavropanos, Anton, Ito – Endo, Karazor – Marmoush (Tommy, 86), Mangala (Förster, 37), Führich (Kalajdzic, 46) – Tomas
Goals: 0-1 Endo (58), 1-1 Baumgartner (85), 2-1 Baumgartner (90)
Match highlights
Kramarić does brilliantly in the penalty box and crosses into the middle. Kadeřábek gets a head to the ball but Ito blocks it and probably stops Hoffenheim from taking the lead.
Stuttgart should be ahead. Tomas suddenly goes through on the right and picks out Führich at the back post, who is left with a tap into an empty net but instead can only hit the post from three metres. Deep breath!
Hoffenheim should score at the other end. Kramarić's cross perfectly tees up the unmarked Hübner, who is denied by Müller. Kadeřábek follows up but cannot find the empty net and instead is thwarted by the bar and then Müller.
Tough pill to swallow. Geiger sustains a head injury and has to be carried off the pitch. TSG are shaken and go 1-0 behind from the resulting corner-kick. Endo is completely unmarked at the back post following a corner and slots home.
Big opportunity to restore parity: Raum's cross picks out Bebou, but he heads wide of the far post from close range. That could have been the equaliser.
Dream goal! Baumgartner finds himself out wide on the right wing but cuts into the middle and unleashes a left-footed strike towards goal. The ball flies straight into the top corner – stunning!
Raum plays a superb ball in behind. Bruun Larsen's cross is not properly cleared and the ball lands at the feet of Baumgartner, who hammers it ruthlessly into the net. Brace and comeback complete!
Match facts and statistics »
