BERLIN (AP) — Jamie Leveling scored twice and Stuttgart beat Wolfsburg 4-0 on Sunday, improving their chances of qualifying for the Champions League while leaving the visiting team in the Bundesliga relegation zone.
Deniz Undav started for Stuttgart in the 21st minute, Leveling worked well as a team to make it 2-0 nine minutes later, and scored the second goal in the 42nd minute with a deflected shot.
Stuttgart slowed down in the second half. Substitute Nicolas Nalty added another point in stoppage time by curling a deflected shot into the far post.
With 10 matches remaining, Stuttgart has secured fourth place, the lowest place to qualify for the Champions League.
Wolfsburg are now in second place from the bottom after a seven-game winless streak and their fifth loss. Daniel Bauer, the coach of the Volkswagen-backed team, will be in charge for the second time this season after taking over as Volkswagen coach, initially on an interim basis. Paul Simonis fired In November.
Former Wolfsburg manager Dieter Hecking is reported to be a potential return candidate to try to pull the team out of slump. Hecking, 61, was manager from December 2012 to October 2016 and won the German Cup with Wolfsburg in 2015, finished second behind Bayern in the Bundesliga and was named manager of the season.
But Hecking could not prevent it Bochum’s relegation last year After starting in the second division with four losses in five games, he was fired in November.
Traveling Wolfsburg fans brought a giant banner reading “Relegation Battle” into Stuttgart, as if to alert the players to their plight.
Leipzig control the pace
Leipzig won 2-1 against Hamburger SV and remained two points behind fifth-placed Stuttgart, with Yann Diomande scoring the winning goal.
Bayer Leverkusen were six points behind Stuttgart before Wednesday’s visit to Hamburg for the postponed Round 17 match.
Frankfurt departs with new coach
Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Freiburg 2-0 with Fares Chaibi scoring one goal and setting up another, lifting the visiting team into seventh place.
Both goals came in the second half, with Chaibi clinching the win in the 81st minute with an assist from Gian-Mateo Bajoya.
It was their second win at home without conceding a goal under new coach Alberto Riera. Frankfurt’s only loss in four games under the Spanish manager was last weekend’s 3-2 loss to Bayern Munich.
Bayern loses the title
Bayern are the favorites to win the league again after the end of the league. 3-2 win over closest rivals Borussia Dortmund Saturday at Der Klassiker.
The Bavarian giants have an 11-point lead and have only dropped points in four of their 24 games this season.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
