Demirovic's Late Stunner Propels Stuttgart into Top Four

In the dying moments of the match, Ermedin Demirovic fired a powerful shot to secure a 1-0 victory for Stuttgart against Freiburg at home in the Bundesliga on Sunday, boosting them into the top four.

Following RB Leipzig's loss to Mainz at home on Saturday, the opportunity arose for the German Cup winners to enter the Champions League qualification spots.

Stuttgart dominated proceedings yet struggled to score until the 90th minute, when the substitute Demirovic connected with a pass from Deniz Undav and unleashed a curling strike beneath the crossbar.

This result positions Stuttgart, set to play Scottish champions Celtic in the Europa League knockout play-off round after Friday's draw, three points ahead of Leipzig in fourth position.

"What is there to say?" remarked Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness to DAZN regarding Demirovic's strike. "It was stunning. There were other highlights, but that goal was truly exceptional."

During the first half, Stuttgart bombarded Freiburg's defence but could not find the net.

Deniz Undav saw an effort cleared off the goal line by Matthias Ginter before the 30-minute mark and then missed wide shortly after, facing only goalkeeper Noah Atubolu.

After the interval, Atubolu denied Bilal El Khannouss in a one-on-one situation with the Moroccan forward.

Introduced with 13 minutes left, Demirovic controlled a pass from Undav and smashed the ball into the net for Stuttgart's opener. It marked his 50th Bundesliga goal, the first from long range.

Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel preserved the clean sheet and full points with an outstanding save on Bruno Ogbus during added time.

On Sunday evening, Borussia Dortmund have the chance to close the gap to six points behind Bayern Munich, who played out a 2-2 draw at Hamburg on Saturday, by defeating last-placed Heidenheim at home.