Stuttgart Beat Cologne 4-1 to Bounce Back From Bayern Defeat

Stuttgart produced an emphatic response to their opening-day defeat by Bayern Munich, beating Cologne 4-1 at home in the Bundesliga on Friday. Bilal El Khannouss opened the scoring with a superb individual effort, while goals from Grischa Proemel, Ermedin Demirovic and Josha Vagnoman completed a convincing win.

The result gave Stuttgart an immediate lift after last week’s 5-1 loss to Bayern. Having finished fourth last season to secure a return to the Champions League, Stuttgart were in control for much of the contest against Cologne and converted that control into four goals.

Proemel said the team had set out to answer the Bayern setback. “We wanted to show a reaction after the Bayern game and that’s what we’ve done,” the goalscorer told DAZN.

El Khannouss breaks Cologne resistance

Cologne struggled to contain Stuttgart from the opening stages but held out until the 39th minute. El Khannouss then supplied the breakthrough in spectacular fashion.

The former Leicester winger drove through the Cologne defence, nutmegging two players before sending a low strike into the bottom corner. It was a goal that gave Stuttgart the reward for their early pressure and established their advantage before half-time.

El Khannouss described the finish as “pure instinct”. “It’s not something you can train, it just happens in the moment. Let’s hope it’s the first of many this season,” he said.

Stuttgart continued to press their advantage after the interval. On the hour, El Khannouss began a move down the flank and found Germany defender Maximilian Mittelstaedt. Mittelstaedt cut the ball back for Proemel, who guided his shot home to make it 2-0.

The second goal underlined Stuttgart’s control and put Cologne under increasing pressure as the home side looked to turn a positive display into a decisive result.

Demirovic added Stuttgart’s third with 15 minutes remaining. The striker charged into space down the right channel and scored from a tight angle, extending the margin after Stuttgart had created a clear advantage through El Khannouss and Proemel.

Cologne did find a way onto the scoresheet through debutant Mikey Moore, the Tottenham loanee. Moore burst into the box and played a square ball that was put into his own net by Stuttgart defender Ramon Hendriks.

Vagnoman caps Stuttgart’s four-goal response

Any late hope of a Cologne comeback was ended in the final minute by Vagnoman. The Stuttgart player struck a looping clearance from outside the box into the top corner, producing a stunning final goal and an early contender for goal of the season.

Vagnoman’s long-range volley sealed a 4-1 scoreline and ensured Stuttgart matched the scale of the result they had suffered against Bayern in the previous round, this time as the victorious side.

The win matters as Stuttgart seek to regain momentum following their difficult start against Bayern. Their display against Cologne featured an individual moment of quality from El Khannouss, a well-worked second goal finished by Proemel, Demirovic’s clinical strike from a tight angle and Vagnoman’s late spectacular effort.

For Cologne, the own goal created after Moore’s run into the area offered a brief response. But Stuttgart’s lead, built through their dominance and goals either side of half-time, proved too substantial. Stuttgart now have a 4-1 Bundesliga home victory to follow their opening-day defeat, with El Khannouss and Vagnoman providing the standout scoring moments.