Stuttgart crush Leipzig 5-2 with Undav hat-trick to tighten hold on third place

BERLIN : VfB Stuttgart's Deniz Undav scored a hat-trick as his side demolished visitors RB Leipzig 5-2 on Saturday and tightened their grip on third spot in the Bundesliga.

For Leipzig, who face Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 next month, it was the third straight league loss and their fourth Bundesliga match without a win.

Stuttgart are now third on 37 points with fourth-placed Leipzig on 33, as many as Borussia Dortmund, who face VfL Bochum on Sunday.

The hosts, missing top scorer Serhou Guirassy on international duty, were superior in the first half and scored twice in five minutes to take control.

Enzo Millot opened their account in the 25th minute with a well-taken penalty before Undav doubled their lead on the half-hour mark.

But Leipzig, desperate to avoid a third straight league loss, cut the deficit with Benjamin Sesko's header in the 32nd.

Only three minutes after the restart Jamie Leweling, who had missed a golden chance on the stroke of halftime, made amends to restore Stuttgart's two-goal cushion.

In-form Lois Openda's superb effort and shot in the 55th put the visitors back in the game, but any hopes of a comeback were crushed seconds later when unmarked Undav headed in a cross to make it 4-2 in the 56th.

The forward completed his hat-trick in the 75th on the rebound after keeper Janis Blaswich had blocked his first shot.