VfB started the match in a confident fashion that belied their current lowly status. Christian Träsch almost got them off to a spectacular start, hammering in a shot from well outside the area that crashed off the underside bar and straight down, the referee ruling that the ball had not crossed the line.
Stuttgart caught cold
Träsch, in on the right side of midfield for the suspended Mauro Camoranesi, set up the next Stuttgart chance with a great pass to Pavel Pogrebnyak, the Russian striker's shot hitting the side netting in the eighth minute. Soon after that, right back Stefano Celozzi set up Pogrebnyak's strike partner Cacau, but Frankfurt keeper Oka Nikolov was equal to the Germany international's effort.
Skipper Matthieu Delpierre then headed a Zdravko Kuzmanovic free kick just over the bar (17'), before Frankfurt struck gold at the first attempt at the other end. A thrown-in from Chris bounced up to Theofanis Gekas, who nodded it home at the near post with markers Delpierre and Serdar Tasci asleep on the job.
Frankfurt grab another
The match continued according to the same pattern after the goal. Stuttgart worked hard to pressure Eintracht as far up the pitch as possible, but Michael Skibbe's men, for all their lack of adventure, were looking very secure in possession. The half-time interval came and went and three minutes after the restart it was Frankfurt, and Gekas, who came within inches of making it 2-0, the Greek striker firing just wide of the left post.
An angled shot past the post from Träsch in the 58th minute was VfB's first chance of the second half, and eight minutes later it was Frankfurt again looking the more dangerous, Patrick Ochs seeing his close-range effort blocked by Arthur Boka, not long on as a sub for Stuttgart. Eintracht were not to be denied however. In the 68th minute, Georgios Tzavellas put in a ball from corner that came off several heads before finding its way to Chris, who stuck it away in the top left-hand corner.
Late fightback in vain
VfB's mountain became even taller in the 84th minute when Delpierre was red-carded in the 84th minute for a crude foul on Patrick Ochs. The ten-man hosts responded by going promptly upfield and pulling one back, Pogrebnyak mopping up after Nikolov had pushed out a Ciprian Marica header. That sparked a frantic finale that saw Cacau have a goal chalked off for offside (89') and Pogrebnyak head just wide of the post (90'), but Eintracht hung on for three welcome points, and for Stuttgart the misery continues.
Line-ups
Stuttgart: Ulreich - Celozzi (Harnik 70'), Tasci, Delpierre, Molinaro (Boka 56') - Bah, Kuzmanovic - Träsch, Gentner (Marica 70') - Pogrebnyak, Cacau
Frankfurt: Nikolov - Jung, Franz (Meier 70'), Russ, Tzavellas - Chris, Schwegler - Ochs (Kittel 88'), Köhler - Halil Altintop, Gekas (Amanatidis 90+1')
Goals: 0-1 Gekas (18'), 0-2 Chris (68'), 1-2 Pogrebnyak (85')
Attendance: 37,000
