VfB Stuttgart secured a 3-1 victory against the Premier League club FC Everton in their pre-season match before the start of the season. Nikolas Nartey, Ramon Hendriks, and Badredine Bouanani scored for the Swabian team, while Thierno Barry converted a penalty for Everton.
In front of 43,000 spectators, Nartey, as right-back, opened the scoring after just 16 minutes with a well-taken goal. Hendriks doubled the lead in the 65th minute with a header from a corner kick, and Bouanani sealed the victory late in stoppage time.
Zagadou's Uncertain Return
After returning to training at Grassau, Dan-Axel Zagadou was not seen on the pitch for long. The defender, whose career has been plagued by injuries, initially returned after treatment during the first half but had to be substituted shortly thereafter due to muscle issues.
'This is a muscular issue,' said VfB Stuttgart's coach Sebastian Hoeneß. 'We have to wait and see, but it was actually more of a precautionary measure, taking him out of the game. He wanted to continue playing, but with him, caution is advised.'
Ahead for VfB
For their final pre-season match before the start of the season, Stuttgart will travel to England next week, where they face Fulham in the DFB-Pokal final on Saturday. They will then take on FC Hansa Rostock on August 21st for a second round cup entry and face a tough Bundesliga debut against Bayern Munich a week later.
