Hoeneß hails “important three points” as Schuster rues cruel late blow in Stuttgart defeat

Here are the reactions from both VfB Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß and SC Freiburg coach Julian Schuster after Stuttgart’s 1-0 win over Freiburg.

The contrasting emotions were clear after VfB Stuttgart edged past SC Freiburg on Bundesliga matchday 20, with Sebastian Hoeneß praising his side’s resilience and patience, while Freiburg coach Julian Schuster felt his team deserved more from a hard-fought contest.

Speaking after the final whistle, Schuster highlighted the special atmosphere inside the MHP Arena and felt a draw would have been a fair reflection of the game. “In this stadium, an extreme amount of energy can develop,” he said. “A draw would have been deserved. The goal happens because everything comes together – the ball could just as easily have gone out for a throw-in before hand. Demirović finishes it brilliantly. It’s a shame for my boys, they deserved more today.”

Freiburg had arrived in Stuttgart with a clear plan and largely succeeded in frustrating the hosts for long spells, before being undone by a moment of individual quality late on.

On the other side, Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß underlined the importance of the result, particularly given the demanding schedule both teams faced. “These were important three points today against an opponent who was set up very well,” Hoeneß explained. “It’s difficult to be at your peak every three days and still play games the way we did today.”

Hoeneß acknowledged that the match was finely balanced but felt the overall performance justified the victory. “It was a tight game, but we deserved to win. At times it looked like handball, the way we moved the ball around the Freiburg penalty area,” he said.

At the same time, the Stuttgart coach was keen to point out Freiburg’s threat on the counter. “Freiburg naturally broke through with counter-attacks at times and were dangerous,” he added.

In the end, Stuttgart’s sustained pressure and Demirović’s moment of brilliance proved decisive, leaving Freiburg to reflect on another narrow defeat despite a disciplined and committed display. “Demi’s goal today was the most beautiful thing that happened in the game and I’m very happy that we managed to secure the win in such a way!”, Hoeneß added after seeing the winning goal during the interview.