VfB Stuttgart began the new Bundesliga season with a heavy 5-1 defeat away to Bayern Munich. During halftime, the power went out in the away dressing room, as the club confirmed to Bild.
The ceiling lights in the guest dressing room failed, but enough light spilled in from adjacent rooms to continue the team talk. The tactical analysis screen kept working. Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß downplayed the incident after the match: "Da war kein Licht mehr da. Es war hell genug, wir haben uns gesehen und wir sind nicht gestolpert. Also alles in Ordnung."
After conceding early, the Swabians equalized in the 52nd minute through Josha Vagnoman. However, Sebastian Hoeneß's team failed to capitalize on this good phase to turn the game around. Instead, Stuttgart conceded the 2-1 and 3-1 goals within just five minutes. Two more late strikes sealed the disappointing 5-1 final score. "It was particularly annoying that we fell behind again from a set piece," analyzed the 44-year-old Hoeneß. He described the second goal conceded as "too easy."
Sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth, 47, did not hide his disappointment. "Ich will auch nicht beschönigen, dass das ein schlechter Start in die Saison war," he said. The result was depressing and served as a reality check against the German champions. The team simply has to do better in certain phases of the game, was the clear message from the coach. With this result, VfB Stuttgart temporarily dropped to the bottom of the table after the first matchday.
The defeat in Munich leaves a clear mark on the record. VfB Stuttgart sits in 18th place with 0 points, having scored one goal and conceded five for a goal difference of -4. They are already three points behind leaders Bayern Munich. The personnel situation is strained, as the current injury list shows. Dan Zagadou, Dennis Seimen, Jeremy Arevalo, Leo Sauer, Lorenz Assignon, and Luca Jaquez are currently sidelined.
The team has no time to dwell on the loss. The next Bundesliga match is already on September 4, at home against 1. FC Köln. Cologne currently occupies 13th place. For Stuttgart, it's about securing their first points of the season and stopping the negative trend immediately. All upcoming fixtures can be found on the fixtures page. The task is clear, as Hoeneß stated: "Our ambition must be to do things better in certain phases." The team must now find answers on the pitch.
