After blunder: Hoeneß strengthens goalkeeper Nübel

VfB Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß has spoken out in front of his goalkeeper after Alexander Nübel's blunder in Leipzig. "The 1:3 was bitter for Alex, because he played a great game. But we won't allow that to stick," said the VfB coach after the 3-1 (0-1) defeat in the Bundesliga chasing duel at RB Leipzig.

Nübel: "Wanted to solve it technically"

Nübel had saved the Swabians from going behind early with numerous brilliant saves, but then blundered when the score was 1-2, allowing Leipzig striker Romulo to slot home in stoppage time for the final score. "I wanted to solve it playfully, it was unnecessary - play the ball long," said Nübel self-critically in the catacombs after the final whistle and praised the overall performance of his team: "You can take a lot of good things from this game."

Hoeneß also saw a further step in the development of his team, who were allowed to hope for an equalizer after substitute Tiago Tomas (65') scored the equalizer. "We always believed in ourselves and had enough to put the punch in," said Hoeneß after the setback.

For the Swabians, it was only their third defeat of the season after five wins in a row. However, the cup winners remain in the top flight of the Bundesliga with 18 points.