Stuttering Stuttgart Struggle To Overcome Hertha In Drab Goalless Affair

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Vfb Stuttgart fail to break down stubborn Hertha leaving under fire manager Huub Stevens closer to the exit door as the Swabians fight to remain in the top flight.

A truly lacklustre contest between two dire teams drowning in the lower reaches of the Bundesliga was probably the final nail in the coffin of Huub Stevens short term reign as Stuttgart boss as the hosts failure to land a much required three points sees them remaining firmly rooted to the bottom of the table.

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Only 23 seconds into this crucial encounter and experienced tough as teak Dutch defender Johnny Heitinga was cautioned after thrusting his right arm into the face of young Stuttgart forward Timo Werner, an unwelcome birthday present for the 19 year old.

Five minutes later and we had the first real opportunity of the match when Stuttgart’s Serbian wide man Filip Kostic cut in from the right hand touchline evading a couple of feeble challenges before firing in an effort which was comfortably saved by Hertha’s keeper Thomas Kraft.

Werner blew a golden opportunity to put the under pressure hosts ahead when with 13 minutes on the clock he sliced a right footed effort past Kraft’s right hand post.

Five minutes later and after getting on the end of a Werner cross Die Roten skipper Christian Genter glanced in a header which fell into the grateful arms of Kraft as the men from Swabia continued their early domination of the match.

However there was a real scare for the hosts in the 25th minute the visitors almost broke the deadline following an impressive surging counter attack which was almost topped off with a goal from Valentin Stocker who fired in a shot from just outside the box which was parried to his left by the Stuttgart number one Sven Ulreich.

With the match likely to be hugely significant in the fortunes of the two sides as they each fight to beat the dreaded drop into the second tier it was no surprise to see neither outfit being prepared to attempt anything remotely bold as the interval brought halt to the lacklustre proceedings with neither team making the vital breakthrough.

Minutes into the second half and the home support were left frustrated and angered following the antics of Hertha keeper Kraft who reacted to a mild accidental collision with Christian Genter by allowing the red mist to descend and foolishly shoving his the Stuttgart skippers’s team mate Georg Neidermeier which merited the yellow card he subsequently received.

Their mood was not helped in the 64th minute when Daniel Gincek failed to find the target after getting on the receiving end of a Kostic cross before firing wildly over the crossbar.

Nineteen minutes from time and with the real tension being felt in the cold March air in the impressive Mercedes Benz-Arena Daniel Schwaab was unfortunate not to end the suffering for those compelled to watch what was becoming a tedious encounter when he was thwarted by Kraft as the Huub Stevens men sought a much needed goal.

With the bulk of the game now being played out in their own half Hertha’s only real hope of stealing the three points lay on exposing their opponents faults on the counter attack and ten minutes remaining they very almost did only for Nico Schulz to spurn a glorious chance which was created by veteran Ivory Coast front man Salomon Kalou.

As a result of his earlier clash with Christian Genter Hertha keeper Kraft was correctly withdrawn from the proceedings in the 82nd minute as the after effects of the shoulder challenge onto his head left the shot stopper feeling visibly groggy and struggling to remain composed and aware of everything around him.

The seven minutes of injury time were notable for their utter lack of anything remotely resembling real quality as the match petered out leaving Stuttgart facing another week closer to the inevitability of relegation though the visitors also suffered the ignominy of a red card for Schulz after picking up his second caution after a foul on Tim Leibold.

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