Bundesliga: Heidenheim draws 3-3 against VfB Stuttgart

Stuttgart’s lightning start by Chris Führich after a careless Heidenheim loss of the ball (5th minute) initially equalized winter returnee Eren Dinkci (20th) for Heidenheim, who had recently been too harmless offensively.

Curious video evidence decision and two VfB goals disallowed

Arijon Ibrahimovic’s lead from a penalty kick (34th minute) was extremely strange after video evidence. Referee Sascha Stegemann initially did not award a penalty for Heidenheim’s attack, but Ermedin Demirovic scored in return to make it 2-1. Only then did Stegemann look at the pictures, revise his decision, deny the VfB goal and award the penalty.

Left-back Maximilian Mittelstädt scored Stuttgart’s second goal, also from a penalty kick (44′). 20 minutes before the end, Demirovic’s second goal also did not count after video evidence of offside.

Three days after the 4-1 win in the Europa League at Celtic Glasgow, the Stuttgart team, who can look forward to a draw for a home game against Freiburg in the cup, looked anything but up to speed defensively. In the second leg, the place in the round of 16 on Thursday should no longer be in danger.

Courageous Heidenheim performance not rewarded

If Heidenheim manages to turn things around to stay in the league, it would be a feat that no Bundesliga team has ever achieved with such a low point tally at this point in the season. Long-term coach Frank Schmidt puts a lot of energy into keeping hope alive.

“We are almost condemned to win and we want to perform like that,” Schmidt said on DAZN shortly before the game started. In fact, the coach saw a courageous performance from his team, but they had to accept the first bitter setback after just five minutes.

Four goals enrich the wild first half

Führich ran towards the goal alone and fired a low shot into the right corner. It was VfB’s earliest goal of the season; Jan Schöppner had previously wasted the ball. But the hosts did not react in shock. On the contrary.

Dinkci in particular thrilled the Heidenheim fans several times and could have scored even more than the goal to make it 1-1. Christian Conteh was involved in the equalizer as another winter transfer.

Dinkci then also took the penalty, which FCH was able to celebrate late after the tip-off from the Cologne basement. Mittelstädt hit him on the ankle, Ibrahimovic safely converted. It wasn’t enough for the bottom team to take the lead at halftime because Conteh stopped Chema Andrés with a foul in the penalty area. Mittelstädt made up for his mistake in front of his own goal and scored from the penalty spot to make it 2-2.

Shortly after the break, substitute Deniz Undav was supposed to do it for VfB. Stuttgart dominated the second half. Mittelstädt’s shot just missed (53′). Heidenheim already had victory in mind before Undav really took care of it and saved the point for Stuttgart.