Bundesliga: Stuttgart 2-0 Mainz

Stuttgart picked up a crucial win over Mainz on Saturday evening to keep their survival hopes alive going into the final two weeks of the Bundesliga season.

After striking the post in the first half, Daniel Didavi gave the Swabians the lead with Filip Kistic sealing a 2-0 win for Huub Stevens' men.

Although they remain rooted to the foot of the table with just two games of the season to go, there is some light showing at the end of the tunnel with only a point now separating them from survival.

Didavi was back in the Stuttgart side after injury and it proved to be an inspired choice by Stevens.

Every time he touched the ball, it looked like something might happen, whether he was deep in his own half or penetrating into Mainz territory.

10 minutes before half-time, he went the closest yet to opening the scoring with a 25-yard drive which struck the inside of the far post and rebounded out to safety with Loris Karius well beaten.

From the corner, Florian Klein headed over from close range as the sell-out crowd inside the Mercedes-Benz Arena started to get behind their team.

Didavi continued to pull all of Stuttgart's strings and he got his goal midway through the second half with a bit of luck helping him unblock the game.

His shot from 30 yards should not really have been too difficult for Karius to deal with, but the Mainz custodian barely got some weak fingers on the ball, pushing it in off the inside of the post when he needed stronger hands to turn it wide.

The relief was palpable both on and off the field and Stuttgart started to play some of their best football of the season soon after.

The second goal duly followed with Martin Harnik's low cross falling behind most of his team-mates, but in front of Kostic, who drilled his shot into the roof of the net from 10 yards.

Daniel Ginczek wasted a chance to make it three late on, but two proved to be enough to keep Stuttgart's survival hopes alive and ensure the battle to avoid the drop will go right down to the wire.