Bundesliga: Stuttgart, Bremen draw; Darmstadt wins
Bundesliga relegation candidates Stuttgart and Werder Bremen failed to produce a winning goal in a 1-1 draw Sunday that suited neither side, while promoted Darmstadt won 1-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Stuttgart made the better start and Lukas Rupp put the home side ahead in the 33rd minute when he rifled the ball to the back of the net, three minutes after Bremen's Anthony Ujah should have had a penalty when he was kicked by Timo Baumgartl.
Ujah equalized in the 71st when he was first to Clemens Fritz's blocked shot to slot the ball inside the right post.
"We had the opponents under control and didn't make the most of it. Then we concede a stupid goal," Rupp said of the 36th goal Stuttgart has conceded in 15 games.
The result leaves Stuttgart in the relegation zone and Bremen just one point outside of it.
"Anytime you're leading 1-0 there's a fear you have something to lose," Stuttgart interim coach Juergen Kramny said of his side's failure to close out the match. Kramny remains without a win after two games following the firing of Alexander Zorniger.
Darmstadt captain Aytac Sulu's 30th-minute header from a free kick was enough for his side to win the first Hessen derby against Frankfurt in 33 years.
"It's a very painful loss. A loss that hurts like no other," said Frankfurt coach Armin Veh after his side's third consecutive defeat.
Frankfurt, playing without suspended talisman Alexander Meier, improved after the break and went close through Marco Russ, who drew a fingertip save from Christian Mathenia in the 56th. The home side kept pushing for the equalizer only to be frustrated by the visitors' well-organized defense.
The game was stopped in injury time when Darmstadt banners and flags were set on fire behind one of the goals. Riot police took to the pitch to control the situation after the final whistle when Frankfurt players were involved in heated discussions with fans, some of whom were masked.
"Thirteen years I've been here now, and in seven or eight of those we've fought against relegation, so we know what it's about," Frankfurt club chairman Heribert Bruchhagen said.
Darmstadt moved four points clear of Frankfurt, which is only ahead of Bremen on goal difference.
League leader Bayern Munich slipped to its first defeat of the season Saturday, losing 3-1 at Borussia Moenchengladbach to allow Dortmund to close the gap to five points. Dortmund had Japan star Shinji Kagawa's injury time winner to thank for its 2-1 victory at Wolfsburg.
