BERLIN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Third placed Stuttgart narrowed the gap with runners-up Bayern Munich to one point after moving 2-0 past 10-man Union Berlin at the opener of Bundesliga's 25th round on Friday.
The visitors from the capital started brightly as Yorbe Vertessen shrugged off two Stuttgart defenders before pulling wide from promising position three minutes into the game.
The Swabians gained the upper hand and opened the scoring as Enzo Millot missed the target from inside the box before Serhou Guirassy tapped home Atakan Karazor's square pass in the 19th minute.
Stuttgart dominated possession and should have doubled the lead, but Josha Vagnoman couldn't overcome Union goalkeeper Frederik Ronnow, who showed a great reflex on the goal line just before the break.
Union came out strong after the restart but neither Lucas Tousart nor Kevin Volland was able to beat Stuttgart custodian Alexander Nubel.
Clinical Stuttgart made it two after Chris Fuhrich benefitted on Diogo Leite's misplaced clearance before curling the ball past hapless Ronnow in the 65th minute.
Things went from bad to worse for Union as Andras Schafer was sent off for a rude foul play.
Stuttgart remained on the front foot but couldn't utilize its numerical advantage. Ronnow neutralized Vagnoman's 20-meter effort in the closing stages.
With the result, Stuttgart cemented its third spot with 53 points after securing the second straight win, while Union stay on the 14th spot with 25 points.
"It is a deserved win for Stuttgart, but we also had the chance to score here today. If we had scored in the opening stages then things can go the other way," said Union defender Robin Gosens.
"Overall, a deserved three points for us. We staged a good performance It is not all roses though as we gave Union room to create chances," commented Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness, who penned a contract extension until 2027. ■
