On 16 March, one of the matches of the 26th round of the German football championship took place. Hoffenheim (Germany) and Stuttgart (Germany) met.
German Championship, 26th round
Hoffenheim (Germany) - Stuttgart (Germany) - 0:3 (0:2)
Goals: Enzo Millot (16), S. Girasi (45+1), Jamie Leveling (68).
Warnings: Kaderabek (45+3)
In the long-awaited Bundesliga match between 1899 Hoffenheim and VfB Stuttgart at the PreZero Arena, fans were treated to an exciting spectacle. In the first half, VfB Stuttgart took the lead with two goals, while 1899 Hoffenheim struggled to find their footing. The first goal of the match came in the 16th minute when E. Millot of VfB Stuttgart struck, much to the delight of the away team's fans. Closer to the break, S. Girassi increased Stuttgart's lead with a goal in the 45th minute. However, the first half was not without drama: just before the break P. Kaderabek of Hoffenheim 1899 received a yellow card.
In an attempt to turn the tide of the game, Hoffenheim 1899 made a substitution at half-time, bringing on K. Akpoguma instead of S. Nsoka. However, Stuttgart continued to dominate the second half. In the 68th minute J. Leweling scored the third goal for Stuttgart, securing the victory. In the second half, both teams made several substitutions: Stuttgart introduced newcomers such as D. Undav and Jung Woo-young, while Hoffenheim 1899 tried to bring new energy into the game with players such as V. Weghorst and A. Kramaric. Despite their efforts, 1899 Hoffenheim were unable to break through the Stuttgart defence. As a result, the match ended with the score 0:3 in favour of Stuttgart, to the disappointment of the home team's fans. Thanks to the victory, Stuttgart moved up the Bundesliga standings, while 1899 Hoffenheim will have to regroup and bounce back in the next match.
The following matches await the rivals in the next round: Bayer - Hoffenheim, Stuttgart - Heidenheim.
| Hoffenheim | Stuttgart | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kicks to the goal | 11 |
| 7 | Kicks | 25 |
| 2 | Blocked shots | 4 |
| 3 | Penalty kicks | 17 |
| 4 | Penalty kicks | 8 |
| 8 | Offences | 12 |
| 5 | Corner | 6 |
| 1 | Offsides | 1 |
| 44% | Ball possession | 56% |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 8 | Keeper saves | 1 |
| 392 | Total assists | 510 |
| 288 | Accurate assists | 430 |
| 73% | Accuracy of transmissions | 84% |