Stuttgart cruise past Cologne to bounce back from Bayern thumping / Photo: THOMAS KIENZLE - AFP
Stuttgart cruise past Cologne to bounce back from Bayern thumping
Stuttgart bounced back from their opening-day thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich to sink Cologne in similar fashion with a 4-1 Bundesliga home win on Friday.
Bilal El Khannouss scored a brilliant individual goal, while Josha Vagnoman thumped in a stunning long-range volley.
Stuttgart, who secured a return to the Champions League with a fourth-placed finish last season but lost 5-1 to Bayern last week, were in complete control throughout.
Cologne struggled to deal with Stuttgart from the start but managed to keep them at bay until the 39th minute, when El Khannouss scored in spectacular style.
The former Leicester winger cut through the Cologne defence by nutmegging two players before firing a low strike into the bottom corner.
On the hour mark, El Khannouss started a move down the flank and found Germany defender Maximilian Mittelstaedt who cut the ball back for Grischa Proemel to guide a shot home.
Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demirovic charged into space down the right channel before scoring from a tight angle with 15 minutes left.
Cologne pulled one back thanks to debutant and Tottenham loanee Mikey Moore, who burst into the box before his square ball was put into his own net by Stuttgart defender Ramon Hendriks.
In the final minute, Vagnoman crashed a looping clearance into the top corner from outside the box for an early contender for goal of the season.
W.Hofmann--BVZ
