Six years into his Stuttgart career, Nicolas Nalty finally scored his first goal for the club, clinching a thrilling 3-2 win against Eintracht Frankfurt. Bundesliga on tuesday.
The Danish midfielder found space between two defenders and slotted Joša Vagnoman’s low cross into the net, before turning his back and shouting in celebration.
Naty has been with Stuttgart since 2019, but has barely played in that time. He spent two years on loan before a series of injuries took a toll on his career. He did not play at all in the 2023-24 season, and hardly appeared in the following year, but he became a regular this season.
Until Naty’s breakthrough, it looked like a different kind of first-time scorer might have saved Frankfurt a draw.
Three minutes after making his Bundesliga debut off the bench, new signing Ayube Amaymouni-Ekguyab completed a quick team move that started with goalkeeper Kaua Santos and continued all the way down the field, making it 2-2. The 21-year-old forward had never played above the third tier of German football before.
Frankfurt took the lead in the fifth minute with a goal from Rasmus Christensen, but goals from Elmedin Demirovic and Denis Unduff gave Stuttgart a 2-1 lead by half-time. Both teams had many chances, with Santos and Stuttgart’s Alexander Nübel making crucial saves.
Stuttgart moves up to third place with the win. Frankfurt are in 7th place with one win in their last eight matches.
Dortmund beat Bremen
A day after Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac suggested Bayern’s title challenge was out of his team’s reach, Dortmund closed the gap on Bayern to eight points with a comfortable 3-0 win over Werder Bremen.
Defender Nico Schlotterbeck gave second-place Dortmund the lead with a header in the 11th inning, and Marcel Sabitzer and Serou Guirassy scored to seal the victory.
“I think everyone knows that we can’t attack Bayern,” Kovac said on Monday, adding that his goal was a top-four finish.
Undefeated Bayern, 8-1 victory over Wolfsburg They can regain their 11-point lead last week by beating Cologne on Wednesday.
Mainz’s long-awaited victory
Mainz defeated fellow relegation candidates Heidenheim 2-1 for their first Bundesliga win since September. Mainz’s new manager Urs Fischer is unbeaten in six games in the Bundesliga and Conference League since taking over last month. Mainz rose from the bottom of the 18-team league to 16th place, while Heidenheim fell to last place.
The match between Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburger SV is hastily postponed Concerns about the roof of the stadium. This is the third Bundesliga game to be canceled in recent days due to heavy snowfall in northern Germany.
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