S04 (1 - 2) VfB – 48th Minute (Second Half)
Second half kicks off, but not much has changed in terms of pressure—Schalke's main attacker is still everywhere, still a nightmare to contain, and clearly the danger man. Stuttgart's back line knew it too. You could feel it. Every time he got on the ball, things got tense.
This time, he's making a run in between the right-back and the center-back, calling for the ball into space. The pass, though, comes behind him—bad angle, bad weight.
Didn't matter.
With a ridiculous bit of improvisation, he flicks the ball backwards over his head mid-sprint, keeping his momentum as it loops over the chasing defenders. They both bite, turning to where they thought the ball was going originally. By the time they realize what's happening, he's already ahead of them.
Problem is, the ball bounces awkwardly in front of him, and since he was sprinting, he struggles to bring it under control cleanly. That hesitation lets the two center-backs catch up again, positioning themselves to block his path.
Not for long.
He cuts inside on the first defender with a sudden burst of pace. The defender can't adjust quickly enough, and just like that, he's passed him.
The other center-back steps in to stop the run, but the attacker hits him with a quick drag from his left foot across to his right. Slick move—and it works. The space opens up.
But he's slightly off balance after the move and can't drive forward cleanly. That tiny stumble lets the first defender catch up again, closing the angle.
It doesn't matter. The damage is done. Stuttgart's defensive line is cracked and focused entirely on him now. Which is exactly what he wanted.
Without even looking up long, he threads a perfect through ball into the path of the left-sided striker, who had ghosted in behind the distracted right-back.
Ball lands at his feet and suddenly, it's a breakaway. The right-back realizes too late and tries to recover, but there's no chance.
Stuttgart's keeper reads it, charges out early, throws himself at the striker's feet—and wins it. Clean stop. No foul. No nonsense. The striker hesitated and paid for it. Huge save.
Now back on the ball, Stuttgart stay true to their rhythm—slow, patient buildup. They're not rushing anything. But Schalke are just as organized, compact in defense, and hard to pull apart. The final pass keeps getting crowded out.
Eventually, the ball finds Leon out on the right. He hadn't seen much of it lately, but now he's ready to make something happen.
He takes his time, edging closer to the byline, fainting left, then right. The defender stays alert, body low, locked in on his hips.
Then Leon makes his move—sells one last feint to the left, then drives toward the byline. He gets close to the edge of the pitch and kills the ball with his right foot, while his body still sells the sprint.
The defender bites on the movement, following Leon's body rather than the ball. Right then, Leon taps the ball behind him with his left, loops around, and reclaims it on the other side. Clean break.
Now he's inside the penalty area.
Che's waving near the edge of the box—calling for it, it seems. But if you watch closely, he's not asking for the ball. He's signaling across—pointing out the free man at the back post.
Leon glances up once, catches it, and lofts a pinpoint cross over the defense.
Speidel, completely unmarked, meets it with a downward header. The bounce takes it past the keeper clean.
S04 (1 - 3) VfB – 56th MinuteGoal: Kian Speidel | Assist: Leon Sonnenblick