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VFB Stuttgart VfB Stuttgart - KOE Cologne Cologne

E. Demirović
15'

MHPArena(60,000 Spectators)

Robert Hartmann

66 %Ermedin Demirović

0:23

Watch: Demirović on Stuttgart's team spirit

0:51

Watch: A look at the full-time scenes

1:10

Watch: The Stuttgart players celebrate

Full time: Stuttgart 3-1 Cologne

A big three points for Stuttgart in a game that could have turned out quite differently on another day. Cologne were the better side for much of the second half and deservedly equalised through Ache, but Stuttgart bounced back superbly, scoring those two late goals to seal the victory.

Full-time

90'

+ 5

Yellow card

Jakub Kamiński

0:16

Undav seals the victory

Kainz loses possession to Karazor on the right. He bursts into the box, but can't find a teammate. The ball then bounces to Stiller, and he can find a teammate. He pops the ball across to Undav, who slots home the goal that surely guarantees all three points.

90'

+ 2

Deniz Undav

GOAL!

3:1

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

28 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

9.92 m

90'

+ 1

Added time

There will be an extra five minutes to play.

90'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Jamie Leweling33.19km/h

Lorenz Assignon33.14km/h

Chris Führich32.53km/h

89'

Substitution

Fynn Schenten

Tom Krauß

89'

Substitution

Florian Kainz

Eric Martel

Demirović restores Stuttgart's lead

El Khannouss slots the ball to Hendriks on the left, and the substitute produces an absolutely sensational cross that Demirović gobbles up and tucks home on the volley. Wonderful football.

84'

Ermedin Demirović

GOAL!

2:1

Goal probability

31 %

Shot speed

Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.

78.34 km/h

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

9.34 m

84'

Substitution

Denis Huseinbašić

Marius Bülter

84'

Substitution

Tiago Tomás

Jamie Leweling

83'

Substitution

Angelo Stiller

Chema Andrés

Magic from Ache

Chabot's loose pass is intercepted by Waldschmidt. The forward controls the ball and feeds Ache on the edge of the box, and the big man remains gloriously composed, skipping past a challenge before dinking the ball over Nübel.

79'

Ragnar Ache

GOAL!

1:1

Goal probability

41 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

9.32 m

78'

El Mala fires over

The youngster pounces on a mistake and seizes possession before shooting well over the bar.

77'

Substitution

Josha Vagnoman

Lorenz Assignon

77'

Substitution

Ramon Hendriks

Maximilian Mittelstädt

77'

Both sides getting shots away

Only the one goal still, though.

Goal attempts

8off target

2on target

6off target

2on target

76'

Yellow card

Bilal El Khannouss

It remains competitive

Will we see another goal before the game is over?

70'

Substitution

Bilal El Khannouss

Chris Führich

0:25

Dangerous

Mittelstädt fires in a low cross that is beaten away by Schwäbe. The ball then lands at the feet of Undav, and his deflected effort bounces narrowly wide. The corner is then challenged for by both Karazor and Chabot, but both end up on the ground.

68'

Substitution

Saïd El Mala

Cenk Özkacar

68'

Substitution

Luca Waldschmidt

Joël Schmied

65'

Ache heads towards goal

The Cologne target man gets up well to meet a Kamiński cross, but his effort is straight at the goalkeeper.

60'

Yellow card

Ermedin Demirović

59'

Chance for Bülter

A cross from the right is almost met by both Ache and Bülter. It then bounces off a Stuttgart player before landing at the feet of Bülter right in front of goal. He takes a touch and shoots, but he can't rotate his body quite far enough to hit the target.

58'

Good hit

Führich beats his man on the left before pulling the ball back towards the centre, but Schwäbe pushes the ball clear. Karazor then lets fly, but his shot is blocked.

57'

Good football

Stuttgart combine well through the middle before spreading the play out to Leweling. He picks out Chema on the edge of the box, but the midfielder's shot is poor and goes over the bar.

53'

Chabot in the book

Ache rolls the big centre-back on halfway, and Chabot pulls the striker back. It's an easy yellow for the referee to give.

53'

Yellow card

Jeff Chabot

52'

Stuttgart not safe yet

xGoals

The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).

Despite having the better of the chances, it remains only 1-0. Stuttgart will be looking to add a second to give themselves some breathing space.

xGoals

1.51

0.22

Goals

47'

Unfortunate

A low cross from the left almost finds Ache in the centre, but he slips at the vital moment, and Stuttgart can clear.

46'

Back underway

The ball is moving again in Stuttgart.

Kick-off!

Half-time: Stuttgart 1-0 Cologne

It's been an entertaining opening 45 minutes in Cologne. Undav should have opened the scoring after just two minutes, but his effort was saved. Demirović then scored after 15 minutes, but the visitors have looked full of life, especially in the final minutes of the half. This game is far from over.

Half-time

45'

+ 1

Added time

Just the one additional minute.

44'

Another dangerous position

Kamiński gets in down the right and looks to find a teammate in the centre, but once more, Chabot is the man in the way.

42'

Martel's cross almost gets through

A chipped ball in-behind is pounced upon by Martel, but Chabot sticks out an important boot to clear the cross behind for a corner.

39'

Undav fires over

Some good combination play gives Undav the chance to shoot, but he can only fire well over the bar whilst under pressure.

38'

Powerful

Bülter does well to free himself on the left-hand side of the box. He then lays the ball off to Thielmann. He has a crack, but his powerful effort is straight at Nübel.

37'

Threatening

A Stuttgart corner leads to a scramble in the box, but Undav's cheeky effort takes a deflection, and Schwäbe easily claims the high ball.

32'

Cologne yet to hit the target

Still, we wait for Cologne's first shot on target. They've had a couple of half-chances to score a goal of their own.

Goal attempts

2off target

2on target

3off target

0on target

30'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Chris Führich32.53km/h

Sebastian Söraas Sebulonsen31.72km/h

Maximilian Mittelstädt31.08km/h

29'

Yellow card

Chris Führich

25'

Unlucky

Lund sends in a deflected cross from the left that narrowly avoids the boot of Ache in the box.

23'

Demirović almost doubles his tally

Führich plays Mittelstädt in down the left. The full-back then cuts the ball back to Demirović, who tries to poke the ball goalwards with the outside of his foot, but he can't quite hit the target from a tricky angle.

20'

Ambitious

Assignon lets fly from some way out and misses the target with a bobbling shot.

20'

VfB deservedly in front

xGoals

The hosts have already created a total xG of 0.99.

xGoals

0.99

0.18

Goals

0:23

Demirović fires home

Führich pings a delightful ball into the box that is nodded down by Leweling into the path of Demirović, and the striker makes no mistake, sweeping home from close range.

15'

Ermedin Demirović

GOAL!

1:0

Goal probability

63 %

Shot speed

Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.

72.01 km/h

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

7.19 m

Great chance

Ache holds off his man and flicks the ball onto Kamiński in the box. He tries a half-volley, but doesn't connect cleanly, and the ball bobbles narrowly wide of the far post.

Ache flicks over

A long throw from Sebulonsen is flicked on by Ache, but the header lands on the roof of the net.

Now Cologne want a penalty

Ache goes to ground under pressure from Mittelstädt, but once more, the referee isn't interested.

Stuttgart want a penalty

The ball flicks up against the arm of Sebulonsen in the Cologne penalty area, and the Stuttgart players appeal, but the referee waves away the protests.

0:19

Undav should score the opener

Demirović wins a header in midfield, and suddenly Undav is through on goal. He only has Schwäbe to beat, but for some reason, the German international opts for the chip and the goalkeeper stays standing to make a simple save.

We're underway

Cologne get the ball moving.

Kick-off!

Players on the pitch

Not long now until we get underway.

0:53

Watch: Stuttgart warm-up

Returnees

Assignon makes his first Bundesliga start for Stuttgart since November 2025, while Chema also returns to the starting lineup - the Spaniard's last start came against Bayern Munich in December.

More on that Stuttgart team

Hoeneß has made several changes following VfB's defeat against St. Pauli. Chabot and Assingnon come into defence for Hendriks and Vagnoman. Chema replaces Stiller in midfield, while El Khannouss makes way for Leweling (pictured).

More on that Cologne team

Kwasniok makes two changes to the team that lost against RB Leipzig, with Schmied replacing Jóhannesson meaning a switch to a back four, while Bülter (pictured) replaces El Mala in attack.

0:05

Watch: Inside the away dressing room

0:12

Watch: The scene is set

Starting line-up: VfB Stuttgart

Alexander Nübel

Maximilian Mittelstädt

Stuttgart subs

Bredlow, Al-Dakhil, Hendriks, Vagnoman, Stenzel, Stiller, El Khannouss, Tomás, Bouanani

Starting line-up: 1. FC Köln

Cologne subs

Zieler, van den Berg, Huseinbašić, Kainz, El Mala, Chávez, Fürst, Waldschmidt, Schenten

Jeff Chabot on how his first 18 months at Stuttgart have gone...

"So far, unbelievably great and, let's say, successful time, because we won the cup in the first year. We have had a good start to the second half of the season and want to achieve big things this year. Overall, everything has gone really well so far."

Jeff Chabot on facing his former club...

"I still care a lot about the club. I think the away game was a bit special because I saw everything again a bit. Now we're playing at home. I'm looking forward to the game. Good memories. I’m still in touch with a few people and can only say good things about the club."

Sebastian Hoeneß on facing Cologne

"Cologne always make things difficult for their opponents. They're a team who are hard to get to grips with. We need good structure and control with the ball, and need to be proactive."

Lukas Kwasniok on facing Stuttgart

"For us, it’s about operating at our absolute maximum at all times. We’re now able to go toe to toe with the big teams when we hit our peak performance, and the match against Leipzig was another step in that direction.

Road troubles

Cologne are winless in their last six away Bundesliga games (D2, L4). Their only two victories on the road this season were by 1-0 scorelines (against Mainz and Hoffenheim).

Happy Hoeneß

As a head coach, Stuttgart's Sebastian Hoeneß has never lost against Cologne, winning six and drawing one of seven Bundesliga meetings.

2:03

Watch: Cologne 1-2 Stuttgart - highlights

Stuttgart defender Josha Vagnoman scored a late winner in Cologne on Matchday 5. It's now six Bundesliga matches against VfB without a win for Cologne (D2, L4), who last prevailed in the fixture at this level in December 2021 (1-0).

2:03

Watch: St. Pauli 2-1 Stuttgart - highlights

Stuttgart's seven-match unbeaten run of Bundesliga games (W5, D2) ended in a surprise defeat at second-bottom St. Pauli. With Leipzig beating Cologne, the DFB Cup holders dropped out of the top four on goal difference.

2:03

Watch: Cologne 1-2 Leipzig - highlights

Cologne were undone by a Christoph Baumgartner double on Matchday 21. Without back-to-back wins since the first two rounds of games this season, the promoted Billy Goats find themselves just four points clear of the bottom three.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 22 fixture between VfB Stuttgart and Cologne.

VFB Stuttgart VfB Stuttgart - KOE Cologne Cologne

Vote for your Man of the Match!

Watch: Demirović on Stuttgart's team spirit

Watch: A look at the full-time scenes

Watch: The Stuttgart players celebrate

Full time: Stuttgart 3-1 Cologne

Yellow card

Undav seals the victory

GOAL!

Added time

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes

Substitution

Substitution

Demirović restores Stuttgart's lead

GOAL!

Substitution

Substitution

Substitution

Magic from Ache

GOAL!

El Mala fires over

Substitution

Substitution

Both sides getting shots away

Yellow card

It remains competitive

Substitution

Dangerous

Substitution

Substitution

Ache heads towards goal

Yellow card

Chance for Bülter

Good hit

Good football

Chabot in the book

Yellow card

Stuttgart not safe yet

Unfortunate

Back underway

Half-time: Stuttgart 1-0 Cologne

Added time

Another dangerous position

Martel's cross almost gets through

Undav fires over

Powerful

Threatening

Cologne yet to hit the target

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes

Yellow card

Unlucky

Demirović almost doubles his tally

Ambitious

VfB deservedly in front

Demirović fires home

GOAL!

Great chance

Ache flicks over

Now Cologne want a penalty

Stuttgart want a penalty

Undav should score the opener

We're underway

Players on the pitch

Watch: Stuttgart warm-up

Returnees

More on that Stuttgart team

More on that Cologne team

Watch: Inside the away dressing room

Watch: The scene is set

Starting line-up: VfB Stuttgart

Stuttgart subs

Starting line-up: 1. FC Köln

Cologne subs

Jeff Chabot on how his first 18 months at Stuttgart have gone...

Jeff Chabot on facing his former club...

Sebastian Hoeneß on facing Cologne

Lukas Kwasniok on facing Stuttgart

Road troubles

Happy Hoeneß

Watch: Cologne 1-2 Stuttgart - highlights