VfB Stuttgart 4-1 Köln: Hoeneß’ side answer Bayern rout with emphatic home win

VfB Stuttgart produced an emphatic response to their opening-day humiliation in Munich, sweeping aside 1. FC Köln 4-1 at the MHP Arena to secure their first Bundesliga victory of the season.

Sebastian Hoeneß’ side had been beaten 5-1 by Bayern Munich a week earlier, but there was little evidence of lingering damage on Friday night. Stuttgart played with far greater authority from the opening stages and eventually turned their superiority into a convincing scoreline through Bilal El Khannouss, Grischa Prömel, Ermedin Demirović and Josha Vagnoman.

The hosts could have been ahead well before El Khannouss broke the deadlock. Vagnoman and Dzenan Pejčinović both struck the crossbar during an aggressive opening in which Stuttgart repeatedly forced Köln backwards.

Their pressure was finally rewarded in the 39th minute. El Khannouss, restored to the starting XI after beginning the Bayern defeat on the bench, produced a superb individual action to give Stuttgart a deserved half-time advantage.

Köln emerged with considerably more purpose after the interval and briefly threatened to change the direction of the contest. Ellyes Skhiri was presented with an opportunity to equalise shortly after the restart, while Fabian Bredlow was required to make several interventions as the visitors enjoyed their strongest spell.

Stuttgart survived it — and then punished Köln.

Prömel doubled the lead on the hour, delivering his first Bundesliga goal for Stuttgart and restoring control at a moment when the visitors had begun to believe an equaliser was possible.

Hoeneß then introduced Demirović from the bench, and the striker needed only five minutes to make his impact. His 75th-minute finish made it 3-0 and effectively ended Köln’s hopes of extending the momentum generated by their 3-2 opening-weekend victory over Hoffenheim.

There was a brief complication when Ramon Hendriks turned the ball into his own net in the 81st minute, but Stuttgart never allowed the goal to develop into a genuine comeback. Vagnoman struck in the 90th minute to restore the three-goal margin and complete a dominant first home performance of the campaign.

The contrast with Munich was significant. Against Bayern, Stuttgart had been overwhelmed after briefly drawing level; against Köln, they responded to the visitors’ best period by scoring again and taking the match away from them.

For Hoeneß, that reaction may matter almost as much as the three points. Stuttgart have immediately corrected a damaging start and restored confidence before turning to European competition.

Their next assignment arrives quickly: Viking Stavanger visit the MHP Arena on Wednesday as Stuttgart begin their 2026-27 Champions League league-phase campaign.