Referee Decisions Shape Stuttgart's Victory Over Leverkusen
The challenge for referees came long before the final whistle. It arrived in a split second, studs up, with a ball won and a leg buckling.
Former top referee Manuel Gräfe took one look at the scene involving Edmond Tapsoba and Angelo Stiller and went straight to the point. Yes, Tapsoba reached the ball first. No, that did not absolve him.
“Difficult to spot,” Gräfe admitted on X. Then came the hammer: “But you have to at least turn your studs away afterwards. You can't just say: 'I played the ball, so the rest doesn't matter.' When you charge in like that and catch an opponent on the fibula with your studs, causing the leg to buckle at the ankle, it's a serious health risk—penalty and red card.”
That was the crux. Technique versus responsibility. Tapsoba’s timing got him to the ball; his follow-through, in Gräfe’s eyes, should have got him sent off.
Stiller needed treatment but, to Stuttgart’s relief, got back to his feet and stayed on. The same could not be said for Tapsoba’s evening. His night kept spiralling.
With the first half drifting towards its close, the defender clattered into VfB striker Ermedin Demirovic inside the area. No debate this time. Another penalty. Another decisive moment.
Maxi Mittelstädt stepped up and buried the spot-kick, cool and clinical, to give the Swabians a fully deserved 2-1 lead. Stuttgart had seized control, and they never really let it go.
The game’s rhythm changed. Leverkusen chased; Stuttgart waited, then struck. Deep into the closing stages, Deniz Undav delivered the insurance goal, making it 3-1 and pushing VfB a major stride closer to the Champions League.
It was more than just three points. It reshaped the table.
Final Matchday
Heading into the final matchday, VfB Stuttgart now sit level on points with fourth-placed TSG Hoffenheim. The finale has all the tension you could want: Stuttgart at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, Hoffenheim away to Gladbach. Bayer Leverkusen, suddenly on the outside looking in, must cling to hope—hope that results elsewhere tilt their way, then handle their own business against Hamburg SV to keep their Champions League dream alive.
Stuttgart’s night still had one more scare in store. In the 68th minute, Undav went down and could not continue, a jolt of anxiety ripping through the home support. After Stiller’s earlier knock, the sight of their in-form forward limping off felt ominous.
Relief followed quickly. As with Stiller, the initial fear gave way to reassurance.
“He'd already been feeling some discomfort during the week. It won't be an injury, but he realised it was getting worse,” coach Sebastian Hoeneß explained afterwards.
Stuttgart leave with the win, the goals and, crucially, their key men seemingly intact. One game left, Champions League within reach, and no margin for error.
