BERLIN, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Mario Gomez' brace helped Stuttgart to move 2-1 past Freiburg at the opener of the 27th round in Bundesliga on Friday.
Stuttgart extended Freiburg's winless run to four games as Mario Gomez provided one goal each half to edge Christian Streich's men on the road.
The "Swabians" caught a fairy-tale start into the clash as Gomez headed home Dennis Aogo free kick from the right wing to break the deadlock with just four minutes played.
Freiburg wobbled and were unable to respond whereas the visitors failed to overcome goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow for a second goal despite promising chances from Gomez and Christian Gentner within the first half.
After the restart, Freiburg came out strong and started on the front foot. Hence, it took the hosts eight minutes into the second half to restore parity as Nils Petersen utilized Nicolas Hoefler's through ball to chip the ball over Stuttgart custodian Ron-Robert Zieler.
Stuttgart remained unimpressed and had the last laugh as Gomez sealed his brace after volleying home Andreas Beck's cross into the box with 73 minutes into the encounter.
Freiburg pressed for the two-all draw but Stuttgart defended deep and protected their narrow lead to the end.
With the result, Stuttgart jump from the 10th to the 8th place for the moment meanwhile Freiburg stay on the 14th position.
"We played very well in the first half. The equalizer shocked us but we assumed control again. We knew it would be tough. In the end, it was a deserved victory for us," Stuttgart's head coach Tayfun Korkut said.
"It was extremely hard for us. We did well in the second half but we are currently not able to work out many chances. But no reproach to the team," Freiburg's head coach Christian Streich said.
The following fixtures are scheduled for Saturday: Borussia Monchengladbach host Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt see Mainz, Augsburg face Werder Bremen, relegation threatened Hamburg encounter Hertha Berlin and Wolfsburg take on runner up Schalke.
