In the 2:1 against Mainz, Stuttgart’s Borna Sosa shone with unusual qualities: The defensive man scored his first Bundesliga goal – and it was a very important one at the same time.
Crosses are Borna Sosa’s core area. But since the first matchday, when three crosses from the left winger led to goals in the 5:1 win against Fürth, Sosa has not been able to record another assist. Against Mainz, too, it did not work out with another assist. Instead, Sosa showed a new quality. The defensive player scored his first goal in his 51st Bundesliga match. For his coach, Pellegrino Matarazzo, this was no great surprise, as he revealed at the microphone: “We know that Borna has a very good left foot. He can score goals. “
“That is my position, that is my strength “
And he showed that he can do it really well with his decisive 2:1, when he chased the ball into the left-hand corner from an acute angle with a lot of speed. Even the opponents paid their respects. Mainz sporting director Martin Schmidt even called it a “Sunday shot on Friday night“. And the scorer? He almost justified himself a little for his goal. “Everyone thinks I wanted to make the cross because I always make the crosses. But I wanted to take the shot, I have to say that honestly,” Sosa revealed with a grin. “For me it’s important to make crosses, that’s my position, that’s my strength. “
However, that strength has not quite come to the fore this season, as the provider of the assist simply lacks takers. Sasa Kalajdzic in particular, who was all too often the target of crosses last season, is missing Sosa. The attacker is suffering from a shoulder injury. That’s why the situation is different now: “Sasa is not here, so I have to score goals as well.
Stuttgart wobble after equaliser
And that was important, because Mainz slowly woke up after Alexander Hack’s equaliser – already the fourth goal conceded after a corner – and kept the Stuttgart defence busy. In this phase – shortly before a penalty for VfB was taken back after VAR intervention – Matarazzo had noticed an uncertainty in his team. Before that, “it was really good. We kept luring the opponent and also saw and found the depth at the right moment.” Towards the end of the first half, however, it was “too small, small “, so they “presented themselves with problems”.
Silas makes comeback
But then came Sosa’s appearance – and another came: Silas celebrated an emotional comeback in minute 85, eight months after tearing his cruciate ligament. In the Mercedes-Benz Arena, it got a few decibels louder once again, the fans celebrated almost every action of the offensive man. “The team, the fans and the stadium realised at that moment that everyone missed him, “ said Matarazzo and Sosa added: “We need him because he is very important for us.” Just as important as Sosa, whose goal finally ended a negative streak of six games without a win.