For the second time in a row, Hoffenheim score away from home against a rival and once again make up for a deficit with a lot of fighting spirit, skill and a portion of luck.
Actually, he had wanted to cross. Angelo Stiller already had his eyes on the goal, where Georginio Rutter was hoping to be played in at the far post. But things turned out differently. Better. “When I scored, I couldn’t quite get there to cross, so I just wanted to shoot at goal,” Stiller revealed afterwards. The 20-year-old couldn’t get behind the ball with his strong left foot, so he simply shot from a very acute angle. A goal born of necessity, Stiller’s first goal in the Bundesliga. “Of course, it also takes a bit of luck that Lukas Hradecky then speculates on a ball into the middle,” said a delighted Stiller, who sank the ball to make it 1:2. This was the start of the chase to catch up, which Munas Dabbur, who was also substituted, finished off with a fantastic dipping shot to make it 2:2.
“We never gave up. We know what we can do and that we can come back. It’s all the nicer that we managed to get a point,” said a jubilant Stiller, who became the 16th goal scorer in Hoffenheim’s astonishingly long list. Proof of the unpredictability of this variable offensive, but also of the balance of the squad. “It’s nice to see how good the squad is when the substitutes score the goals,” Sebastian Rudy also recognises, “we’ve shown in the past games that we can turn a game like that. It’s one of our strengths that we never give up. We always give everything and are also dangerous in the final phase. “
We now want to make a statement against Gladbach.
Goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, who made the point possible with his strong reactions and saves, also sees the qualities of TSG. “We said at half-time that we had to keep going and not get down on ourselves. We then did that extremely well and also had top substitutions. We wanted to keep bugging them because we knew what happened with them last week against Frankfurt,” said the veteran, “it was good attitude, discipline and ultimately a super fight from us. At the back, we almost felt we could score the third goal – and that’s away in Leverkusen.”
The Kraichgauer thus maintained fourth place and can perfect one of the best Hinrunden in their Bundesliga history with another home win on Saturday against struggling Gladbach. “Now we want to establish ourselves at the top with a win against Gladbach,” Rudy assures, and Stiller adds: “That’s how it should continue. We now want to make another statement against Gladbach.” In order to position themselves promisingly for the second half of the season. In this condition, TSG is heading towards Europe with determination.
