VFB (2 - 1) SGE – 87'
Stuttgart has already regrouped, but Frankfurt is still pushing hard on the counter. They zip the ball around the midfield with slick one-touch passing until it finds its way to the striker, staring down Stuttgart's two center-backs.
He sets himself up to shoot, shifting the ball to his right foot, but both defenders step in fast, trying to block him. Instead of taking the shot, he fakes it and slips a pass to his attacking midfielder, who's made a smart run behind the defense.
The ball slices between the center-backs perfectly, landing at the midfielder's feet—he's through on goal! The keeper has already rushed out, reading the play.
With no time to think, he goes for a cheeky chip over the advancing keeper. It's perfect—the ball floats just out of reach as the keeper leaps, but it's too high for him to stop.
It bounces towards the goal and looks like a sure equalizer, but before he can even celebrate, the linesman's flag shoots up. Offside! He drops to his knees in frustration.
(The Stuttgart left-back was the last man holding the attacker onside. Seeing his teammates pressing the striker, he wisely held back, setting up the offside trap. The striker's pass came too late, and the attacker was caught offside.)
A huge sigh of relief washes over the left-back when he sees the ref confirm the call.
"Thanks, man. You saved me back there."
He nods, they high-five, and the game carries on. Stuttgart holds possession, keeping calm despite Frankfurt's aggressive press. They start wasting time—drawing fouls, playing back to the keeper—anything to run down the clock.
Frankfurt wins the ball back and charges forward again, but before the right-back can build the attack, he's fouled. The ref flashes a yellow card at the Stuttgart player, and Frankfurt wastes no time setting up the free kick.
All their big players crowd Stuttgart's box, lining up for the set piece. The whistle blows, and the pushing and jostling begin.
Even from way out, the right-back sends in a dangerous ball. Stuttgart defends well, clearing it away, but the rebound lands with a Frankfurt player.
Che, spotting the loose ball, goes full sprint towards him.
The Frankfurt player tries to control it while dodging Che's approach, but his touch is off—the ball rolls too far. Che pounces, speeding past him.
Now he's got three defenders closing in, plus the player chasing from behind. He's isolated, but he doesn't hesitate. One defender sticks out a foot—Che sidesteps. Another goes in for a tackle—he dances past that one too.
A slide tackle comes from behind, grazing his foot, but he keeps going.
The last defender sees him wobble and lunges in, trying to capitalize. Che shifts the ball from his left foot to his right, pushing forward again.
Now he's one-on-one with the keeper, but the last defender is still chasing, desperate to take him out. In a final attempt, he slides in—Che outruns him.
The keeper is watching, waiting, creeping forward but not rushing out.
As Che nears the penalty box, the keeper finally moves to engage—too late. Che goes for the chip from outside the box.
The keeper had already begun his sprint forward, expecting a close-range finish. He wasn't ready for a long-distance chip.
No one was.
The ball sails just under the crossbar, bounces behind the goal line—Che is already celebrating before it even lands.
The whistle blows. GOAL.
Every Stuttgart player rushes to Che, including the substitutes. They pile on, rubbing his head like he's their little brother.
"That kid's got guts, I'll give him that."
Score: VFB (3 - 1) SGE 91'
Scorer: Che Louw