Niedermaier makes point for Stuttgart

Niedermaier makes point for Stuttgart

Georg Niedermaier salvaged a point for Stuttgart as they and Borussia Dortmund remained lodged in mid-table in the Bundesliga after a 1-1 draw.

Nelson Valdez had given Dortmund the lead after 27 minutes, and after a difficult previous seven days the hosts would have hoped to cling to the slender advantage.

However Stuttgart hit back two minutes into the second half when Niedermaier headed home from close range.

Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp saw his side thrashed 4-1 by Hamburg last weekend, and they then suffered a 5-0 defeat by Real Madrid in a friendly on Wednesday.

Klopp spoke of "symbolical black clouds" over Dortmund, and there was no sign of them lifting in the early stages here as Paulo Cesar Tinga sustained a nasty-looking knee injury in the fourth minute, needing to be replaced by Mats Hummels.

However there was relief for Dortmund in the 27th minute when Lucas Barrios fed Valdez and his right-footed blast from 10 yards went between Jens Lehmann's legs and into the net.

Stuttgart had a chance to level shortly before half-time, however Roman Weidenfeller pulled off a smart save from Julian Schieber's close-range shot.

It was a warning for Dortmund, however they could not prevent Stuttgart drawing level in the 47th minute when Mathieu Delpierre's free-kick picked out the unmarked Niedermaier who headed into the left corner from three yards.

Dortmund and Stuttgart each had a win and a loss on their records from their opening two fixtures, and each was eager to add a second victory, however Dortmund were the most threatening.

They had a terrific chance in the 83rd minute when Tamas Hajnal's free-kick found substitute Dimitar Rangelov whose header from eight yards hit the bar.