Undav winner extends Stuttgart's winning streak

Loic Bade (R) of Bayer 04 Leverkusen vies with Derry Scherhant of SC Freiburg during the first division of Bundesliga football match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SC Freiburg in Leverkusen, Germany, Oct. 26. 2025. (Photo by Joachim Bywaletz/Xinhua)

Deniz Undav scored a late winner as VfB Stuttgart came from behind to beat Mainz 05 2-1 on Sunday, sealing a fifth straight Bundesliga victory to stay firmly in the top three.

Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness rotated heavily following a midweek UEFA Europa League defeat to Fenerbahce. Defender Dan-Axel Zagadou made his first Bundesliga appearance in more than a year after a long injury layoff, while Pascal Stenzel and Ameen Al-Dakhil also earned rare starts.

Stuttgart quickly settled and dominated possession. Jamie Leweling had the first clear chance with a header that forced goalkeeper Robin Zentner into action, before Undav missed a golden opportunity when clean through on goal.

Mainz, battling near the bottom of the table, offered little going forward until referee Felix Zwayer awarded a penalty after a handball by Zagadou on review, which Nadiem Amiri converted in the 41st minute.

Just before halftime, Stuttgart hit back through Chris Fuhrich, who cut inside from the left and curled a shot into the far corner for his first goal of the season.

The decisive moment came in the 80th minute, when Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nubel launched a long ball and Undav sprinted through to lift the ball over Zentner to secure the win.

The result extended Stuttgart's home winning streak to five matches, while Mainz remains winless on the road and in the relegation zone.

"We played a good game, but football often comes down to small details and those weren't on our side today. We need to show more courage on the ball in the future," said Mainz coach Bo Henriksen.

Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen rebounded from its heavy Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain with a 2-0 win over 10-man Freiburg, as Ernest Poku and Edmond Tapsoba scored to end the visitors' eight-match unbeaten run.