In Bratislava, VfB ultimately secures a confident 3–1 victory, taking the first necessary step toward advancing. However, after taking an early lead, the team missed the opportunity to further improve its standing in the table.
First of all, let’s not complain too much here. The team with the red chest ring has now won its fourth competitive match in a row and maintained much of the excitement from previous games throughout this one. With ten points from seven games, VfB still has a chance to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage, regardless of Wednesday’s results. And if that doesn’t work out, it would be unfortunate, but given their strong league position and the upcoming domestic cup quarterfinal, it wouldn’t be a disaster. So, after the 3–1 in Bratislava, there’s really no room for complaints.
Still, it’s a bit frustrating that the team didn’t reward itself more for its performance. Defensive stability and counterattacking prowess were rarely evident against the Slovakian champions for much of the match. Only when the team started interpreting the coach’s instructions for focused, collective defending a bit more loosely and began making more passing errors did it become apparent what the later consolation goal confirmed: Slovan was a team that would pounce on even the smallest mistakes, hoping to capitalize on them. Fortunately, they only managed that once. On a few other occasions, it came close—or at least it felt that way. In reality, the stats paint a different picture: 6:21 shots, 2:7 shots on target, 1:10 big chances, 4:19 (!) corners, and expected goals (xG) values of 0.62:3.05 (all from Fotmob).
A small downside
Within these stats lies a small downside: after seven of eight games, VfB still has a goal difference of ‑1, meaning they’re still grappling with the unnecessarily heavy defeat in Belgrade. That might not ultimately matter—or it might. The team’s versatility is clear, as Leweling and Rieder scored this time. But with one or two more goals—well within the realm of possibility—the chances of progressing would have been even better. Add to that the conceded goal, where a midfield duel was lost, leading to a counterattack despite VfB’s lead.
But this is the Champions League, and even a winless Slovan Bratislava isn’t as harmless as Freiburg last Saturday. If we end up stuck in the group stage—and that’s not even certain—it certainly won’t be because of a 3–1 away win. And as VfB fans, there’s no reason to be pessimistic. Even if the team took its foot off the gas a bit after 2–0, they extended their winning streak, showcased impressive attacking football, and mostly maintained defensive focus—all in the context of a competition where no opponent should be underestimated.
Little to Lose in the Final
Now we face a true final against Paris, but one where, especially against such an opponent, we don’t have much to lose. Besides, this group-stage table with only eight games is inherently volatile—we could still even overtake Dortmund. For now, though, the focus shifts to Mainz on Saturday: the next challenging opponent, the next opportunity to rotate fresh players into the lineup, and this time, hopefully, to hold onto a 2–0 lead more convincingly. Just like in Bratislava.
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