Berlin (Germany), January 17: Silas Wamangituka's late penalty helped Stuttgart to snatch a last gasp 2-2 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach in the 16th round in Bundesliga on Saturday.
Stuttgart grabbed the better start on home soil as Orel Mangala unleashed a shot on target to test Monchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer with 13 minutes played while Nicolas Gonzalez headed over the target from close range at the half-hour mark.
As the clock ticked Monchengladbach gained the upper hand after Breel Embolo's attempt on target forced Stuttgart custodian Gregor Kobel into action.
Monchengladbach eventually opened the scoring with the helping hand of defender Borna Sosa, who felled Stefan Lainer inside the box to concede a penalty in the 35th minute. Lars Stindl stepped up and drilled the ball into the top left corner.
After the restart, Stuttgart took over but neither Gonzalo Castro nor Waldemar Anton was able to break the deadlock despite promising chances.
The hosts dominated the proceedings on the pitch and got rewarded for their efforts as Sosa's cross into the box found Gonzalez, whose diving header made it 1-1 in the 58th minute.
However, it was a short-lived joy for the hosts as Monchengladbach took the lead again only three minutes later when Stindl's pass into the path of Denis Zakaria to slot home from a tight angle.
With the narrow lead, Monchengladbach defended deep to make Stuttgart's life difficult.
Monchengladbach wasn't able to protect the lead to the final whistle though as Ramy Bensebaini fouled Sasa Kaladjdzic in the penalty area. The VAR confirmed the late penalty decision and Wamangituka kept his nerves from the spot to clinch a late draw for Stuttgart.
With the result, newcomers Stuttgart remains in 10th while Borussia Monchengladbach stays in seventh place of the Bundesliga standings.
"We gave everything and rewarded ourselves again. It was an overall good performance by the boys. We can build on it," Stuttgart head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo said.
"It was a great performance by both teams. We were too passive in the second half. Hence, we conceded the equalizer. We responded well but shared the spoils due to a controversial penalty, which is a shame," Monchengladbach head coach Marco Rose said.
On Sunday, front runners Bayern Munich host in-form Freiburg while Eintracht Frankfurt encounter Schalke to complete the 16th round.
Source: Xinhua