SAEDNEWS: VfB Stuttgart secured a 2-0 home victory over St. Pauli, handing the visitors their first defeat of the season, with goals from Ermedin Demirovic and Bilal El Khannouss.
VfB Stuttgart bounced back into contention for the Bundesliga’s top ranks with a confident home performance against FC St. Pauli. The 2-0 victory, featuring goals from Ermedin Demirovic (43’) and Bilal El Khannouss (50’), marked St. Pauli’s first defeat of the season. With this win, Stuttgart climbed to seventh place, registering their second win in four matches. Meanwhile, St. Pauli remains in fourth place, now facing a reality check after an unbeaten start.
Bilal El Khannouss
Bilal El Khannouss
Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß praised Demirovic’s display, stating, “That was a very good performance. He was so good that you can call him your own.” The opening goal by Demirovic came after an intense first-half struggle, including a disallowed early strike and a saved penalty by St. Pauli goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.
Sebastian Hoeneß
The game saw an early setback for Stuttgart when Demirovic’s first attempt was ruled offside following a free-kick cross from Angelo Stiller. Later, Tiago Tomás drew a penalty, but Vasilj’s heroic save kept the score level. Stuttgart finally took the lead in the 43rd minute when Jamie Leweling’s precise pass found Demirovic, who maneuvered past two defenders and scored.
In the second half, Stuttgart increased their lead via Bilal El Khannouss, who finished a swift team move into the bottom-right corner. St. Pauli threatened an equalizer shortly after, with Louis Oppie hitting the crossbar and Mathias Pereira Lage’s attempt denied by Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nübel. Despite St. Pauli’s pressure, Stuttgart maintained control and refused to concede.
After the match, Demirovic expressed satisfaction with the team’s energy and performance: “We knew we hadn’t put in a good performance before. We told ourselves we wanted to bring energy onto the pitch, and you could see how well we can play football.”
St. Pauli’s Hauke Wahl admitted their shortcomings: “We didn’t have good energy on the pitch today. The basics that have made us strong were simply not good, and we made our opponents strong.”
VfB Stuttgart will next face Celta Vigo in the Europa League on Thursday, followed by a Bundesliga away game at 1. FC Köln on Sunday. Coach Hoeneß noted the importance of managing player workload during this busy period. Meanwhile, St. Pauli hosts Bayer Leverkusen in hopes of returning to form and recovering from their first loss of the season.
Stuttgart’s win against St. Pauli highlights the team’s ability to perform under pressure and reclaim a spot among the Bundesliga’s top contenders. With decisive goals and disciplined defense, Stuttgart showcased their readiness to challenge the league’s best, while St. Pauli faces lessons to learn from their first stumble this season.
