Kalou's brace helps Hertha Berlin add to Stuttgart's Bundesliga woes
Salomon Kalou, picked up from Lille as the summer transfer window closed, scored two goals Friday night and Roy Beerens provided a necessary third as Hertha BSC Berlin kept VfB Stuttgart near the Bundesliga bottom with a come-from-behind, 3-2 victory.
Kalou sunk a first half penalty, then finished a quality counter-attacking break midway through the second half as Hertha won for just the second time this season and moved up to 12th place in the league table. The Cote d'Ivoire international now has three goals in five appearances with his new club. Beerens collected his first goal of the season with 16 minutes left.
For Armin Veh's Stuttgart it was another frustrating night despite the fact that they grabbed an early lead and had a late lifeline that they could not capitalize on. Losing for the fourth time in seven starts, VfB remains 15th, just one place above the drop zone. Moritz Leitner scored once and saw his free kick headed into his own net by Sandro Wagner to account for Stuttgart's goals.
A free-flowing first half produced two goals and finished level 1-1 in the Berlin Olympiastadion.
The Stuttgart goal arrived in just five minutes, a classic breakaway started by Vedad Ibisevic's prescient back-heel pass from near the halfway line. The flick allowed Florian Klein to beat the offside trap and carry down the right flank while Moritz Leitner produced the inside right run which created a 2-on-1. When Klein passed, Leitner was clear to finish.
It took 15 minutes for Hertha to get level from Kalou's penalty after Thorsten Kirschbaum had made two terrific saves only to have defender Carlos Gruezo foul in the box. First Kirschbaum one-handed away from Kalou, who broke in clean from a Stuttgart giveaway. A minute later Valentin Stocker brought the best from the VfB keeper only for the Ecuadorean to take Stocker out. Kalou made no mistake from the spot in the 20th minute.
Stuttgart missed an opportunity in the 50th minute when Timo Werner could not beat Kraft with a close-range header before Hertha took the lead on a high speed counter-attack managed by Stocker in midfield from a VfB loss of possession near the halfway line. Stocker spotted Kalou's right wing run, hit him with the pass, then the shifty attacker flew right past Daniel Schwaab before cooly beating Kirschbaum.
Anis Ben Hatira's precise cross from the left found Beerens in front of goal with only Kirschbaum to beat. The Dutch midfielder finished with the aplomb of a a striker and seemed to make the match safe.
But, VfB Stuttgart got some late hope when Wagner headed that Leitner free past Kraft for an own goal with seven minutes left, but it was not enough to change the result because the visitors lacked any precision in front of goal as they pressed to get level in the closing minutes.
Saturday's six-match program features Bayern Munich vs. Hannover 96, Hoffenheim vs. Schalke, Werder Bremen vs.SC Freiburg, Bayer Leverkusen vs. Paderborn and Borussia Dortmund vs. Hamburger SV in the afternoon kickoffs while Cologne visits Eintracht Frankfurt in the night game.
