Match summary:
VfB enjoyed the lion’s share of possession as they dominated the game right from kick-off, and deservedly took the lead in the 19th minute through Deniz Undav’s fine finish. Sebastian Hoeneß’s side almost doubled their advantage 20 minutes later when Fabian Rieder’s shot that appeared destined for the far corner was brilliantly saved by Kiel goalkeeper Timon Weiner.
The visitors had their first chance of the game moments later when Benedikt Pichler and Fiete Arp linked up well inside the VfB box, but Maximilian Mittelstädt slid in with a last-ditch tackle to save the day. The home side had another chance just before the break following some more eye-catching link-up play, with Enzo Millot dummying the ball to allow Angelo Stiller to shoot, but his effort narrowly went the wrong side of the post (43’), leaving VfB 1-0 up at half-time.
El Bilal Touré makes it two
Hoeneß sent out the same 11 players for the second half, which was initially a slower-paced affair than the first. Indeed, the next chance did not arrive until the 60th minute when Jamie Leweling unleashed a powerful drive from 25 yards out that Weiner could only gather at the second attempt. El Bilal Touré showed his team-mate how it was done just seconds later, making it 2-0 with a spectacular curling effort from distance (61’).
Kiel subsequently became more proactive, and they pulled a goal back in the 84th minute when Armin Gigovic scored on the rebound after a header from Phil Harres had hit the crossbar. VfB almost replied instantly when a Chris Führich free-kick struck the post (86’), but in the end VfB came away with a narrow but deserved victory.
Goals:
19th minute: A sublime goal. Anrie Chase heads the ball clear out of the VfB area to Touré, who sprints the full length of the pitch before sliding a pass into Undav, who dinks the ball over Weiner and into the net.
61st minute: Another superb goal. Touré is given space to attack in a central position and he curls a shot into the top-right corner from 25 yards out.
84th minute: Kiel reduce the deficit. Harres’ header crashes off the crossbar but straight to the feet of Gigovic, who scores for Kiel.
Special mentions:
VfB have now gone approximately a year without being beaten at home in all competitions, a run that has spanned 19 matches (13 wins, six draws).
Hoeneß oversaw his 50th Bundesliga game as VfB head coach.