VfB Stuttgart Reclaim Third Place in Bundesliga with Dominant 5-2 Victory Over Augsburg

VfB Stuttgart routed FC Augsburg 5-2 away at the WWK Arena on Sunday, March 22, 2026, in the closing match of the 27th round of the Bundesliga, with Deniz Undav scoring twice and providing an assist to cement Stuttgart's place in third position. Undav opened the scoring in the 12th minute, finishing from close range after a chip from Angelo Stiller was touched on by Augsburg goalkeeper Finn Dahmen. Tiago Tomás added a second in the 29th minute following a backheel from Nikolas Nartey, and Nartey himself made it 3-0 just 110 seconds later after setup work from Maximilian Mittelstädt. Stuttgart entered the break with a commanding three-goal lead, having dominated Augsburg's defense throughout the first half, particularly down the left flank through Chris Führich. The result moved Stuttgart to 53 points, three ahead of fourth-placed RB Leipzig, and kept the club firmly in contention for a Champions League place.

Undav reaches 18 goals, equals last season's tally Augsburg showed more resolve after the interval but could not contain Undav or Stuttgart's clinical finishing. Fabian Rieder pulled one back for the hosts in the 57th minute, only for Undav to restore the three-goal margin on the counterattack just one minute later, completing his brace with his 17th and 18th league goals of the season. The tally equaled Undav's total from the entire 2023-24 Bundesliga campaign, with seven matches still remaining. Anton Kade, introduced as a substitute, scored Augsburg's second in the 71st minute to briefly raise home hopes, but substitute Ermedin Demirovic sealed the win in the 83rd minute, converting Undav's assist. The victory ended Augsburg's eight-match unbeaten home run at the WWK Arena and handed Manuel Baum's side their third consecutive defeat. Stuttgart also equaled a club record by scoring in 18 consecutive away league matches, a mark previously set in the 1984-85 season according to match reports. „It wasn't a perfect week. We wanted to show a reaction after being knocked out — we wanted to carry that anger with us. We showed that today. We were superior from the start, scoring goals at the right moments.” — Deniz Undav via DAZN

Porto elimination still fresh as Stuttgart refocus on league The win came just three days after Stuttgart's elimination from the Europa League round of 16, where they lost 2-0 to FC Porto at the Estádio do Dragão. Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß made five changes to his starting lineup compared to the Porto match, and the team showed no signs of fatigue or deflation from that midweek exit. Undav's performance earned him particular attention given his inclusion in Julian Nagelsmann's Germany squad, announced on Thursday ahead of upcoming international fixtures against Switzerland and Ghana. Augsburg, who had 20-year-old Portuguese forward Rodrigo Ribeiro — on loan from Sporting — in their starting eleven, slipped to their third straight defeat and remain in 10th place with 31 points, still seven points clear of the relegation playoff spot. The sold-out arena of 30,660 spectators witnessed Stuttgart's attacking intent from the opening whistle, with the visitors combining fluidly and repeatedly exposing Augsburg's defensive frailties on the left side.

Mainz beat Frankfurt, St. Pauli slide toward relegation Elsewhere in the 27th round, Mainz 05 defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 at home, with midfielder Paul Nebel scoring both goals in the sixth and 89th minutes. Defender Nathaniel Brown had equalized for Frankfurt in the 20th minute, but Nebel's late winner secured all three points for Urs Fischer's side. Mainz, who sat bottom of the table when Fischer took charge in December 2025, have since lost just two of 18 matches across all competitions and now sit 11th with 30 points, six above the relegation playoff spot. The club also reached the quarterfinals of the Europa Conference League for the first time, where they will face Strasbourg. In the day's other match, Freiburg beat St. Pauli 2-1, with Igor Matanovic scoring both goals in the 65th and 78th minutes, while Danel Sinani scored for the hosts. The defeat left St. Pauli in the relegation playoff spot, two points behind Cologne, who dismissed head coach Lukas Kwasniok on Sunday, with assistant manager Rene Wagner stepping in on an interim basis.

VfB Stuttgart finished fourth in the Bundesliga in the 2023-24 season, qualifying for the Europa League. Deniz Undav joined Stuttgart on a permanent basis in August 2023 and has established himself as one of the Bundesliga's most consistent strikers. Sebastian Hoeneß has been head coach of VfB Stuttgart since April 2023. The club's previous record of scoring in 18 consecutive away league matches was set during the 1984-85 season, according to match reports from the game.

VfB Stuttgart, FC Augsburg, 1. FSV Mainz 05, Eintracht Frankfurt, SC Freiburg, FC St. Pauli