The VfB Stuttgart missed the hoped-for victory in the first Champions League home game in more than 14 years. The German soccer runner-up couldn’t get past a 1-1 (1-1) draw against Sparta Prague and only has one point after two match days of the new league phase. Two weeks after the unfortunate 3-1 defeat at Spanish defending champions Real Madrid, Enzo Millot gave VfB the lead in the seventh minute. Kaan Kairinen (32nd) scored a dream goal in front of 60,000 spectators to score the well-deserved equalizer for the Czech champions and cup winners.
“Back in Europe” was written on a large banner in the VfB fan curve. For the first time in 5,334 days, the famous premier class anthem was heard again in the Stuttgart Arena. The “brutal” anticipation that captain Atakan Karazor had expressed in the team could also be felt in the stands. And VfB got the dream start they had hoped for.
Millot scores early, Sparta scores twice
Millot, who had already been the outstanding man in the furious 5-1 win in the Bundesliga against Borussia Dortmund a week and a half earlier, headed a cross from Maximilian Mittelstädt over the line from close range to make it 1-0 early. However: The lead didn’t really fit the course of the game. Sparta was initially the better team. Offensively, the guests sometimes lacked precision and sometimes luck – as when Martin Vitik hit the post (13th).
The Swabians rarely brought the dynamic that characterizes the Stuttgart game and which guest coach Erik Friis had explicitly pointed out to the pitch in the first half. In the middle of the phase in which they at least seemed to have taken control, the equalizer fell. Kairinen put a wonderful free kick into the top right corner.
The game remained entertaining. VfB continued to have problems against the Czechs, who had already beaten RB Salzburg 3-0 at the start of the league phase – and were once again very lucky. Veljko Birmancevic hit the crossbar with a header (39′).
VfB increases the pressure – Nübel saves
It was Birmancevic who almost gave the guests the lead after the break. However, the attacker was denied by VfB keeper Alexander Nübel (55′) – this time in a phase in which Stuttgart were actually the dominant team.
In the middle of the second half, VfB continued to increase the number of hits. Coach Sebastian Hoeneß, among others, brought in Chris Führich for Ermedin Demirovic and moved national striker Deniz Undav from hanging to sole striker. The hosts tried to score the second goal and pushed Sparta back deep into their own half with a high proportion of possession. But there was a lack of clear opportunities. The game ended like Stuttgart’s last Champions League home game against the glorious FC Barcelona in February 2010 – with a 1-1 draw.
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The VfB Stuttgart missed the hoped-for victory in the first Champions League home game in more than 14 years. The German soccer runner-up didn’t get more than a 1-1 draw against Sparta Prague and only has one point after two match days in the new league phase. Two weeks after the unfortunate 3-1 defeat at Spanish defending champions Real Madrid, Enzo Millot gave VfB the lead in the seventh minute. Kaan Kairinen (32nd) scored a dream goal in front of 60,000 spectators to score the well-deserved equalizer for the Czech champions and cup winners.
