VfB Stuttgart opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-1 win over Viking Stavanger. Ermedin Demirovic scored three times in twelve minutes on Wednesday, settling the match before half time on the day the club marked its 133rd anniversary.
Demirovic's twelve-minute treble
After a pass from Angelo Stiller, Demirovic put VfB ahead in the 20th minute. Just two minutes later Zlatko Tripic equalised for the visitors following a delivery from Henrik Björdal, who had already created a chance in the 11th minute, while Kristoffer Askildsen had tried his luck from 19 metres in the 17th. Demirovic was unmoved by the reply: he added goals in the 26th and 32nd minutes, both set up by Deniz Undav, to make it 2-1 and then 3-1. Goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow held the lead until the break, with Arild Östbö in goal for the Norwegians. Jeff Chabot made a key save in the 60th minute for VfB, still coached by Sebastian Hoeneß.
Demirovic: 'This is indescribable'
Speaking to reportersschau after the match, Demirovic said: "This is a day I will never forget in my life."
Table standing and what comes next
In the Bundesliga, VfB sit tenth after two matchdays on three points, having scored five goals and conceded six. They trail leaders FC Augsburg by three points. The win over Viking gave VfB a two-match winning run, and their record over the last five matches stands at three wins and two defeats. Fans wanting to check the upcoming calendar can find it on our fixtures page. On September 19, Stuttgart host third-placed Borussia Dortmund in their next Bundesliga fixture, before returning to the Champions League on October 14 away at Slovan Bratislava. Currently sidelined are Dan Zagadou, Dennis Seimen, Lorenz Assignon, Luca Jaquez and Tiago Tomás. The full squad can be viewed in the squad section, with the complete table available under standings.
