VfB Stuttgart triumph over Maccabi Tel Aviv for third straight UEFA Europa League win

VfB Stuttgart continue to impress in the UEFA Europa League after beating visitors Maccabi Tel Aviv 4-1 at the MHPArena to make it three wins on the bounce in the competition.

VfB Stuttgart 4-1 Maccabi Tel Aviv 
Goals: 1-0 Assignon 25‘ (assist: Mittelstädt), 2-0 Tomás 37‘ (assist: Undav), 3-0 Mittelstädt 49‘ (pen.), 3-1 Revivo 51‘ (assist: Ben Hamo), 4-1 Vagnoman 90+4' (assist Bouanani)

The beginning of the first half was quiet, with Stuttgart dominating the ball but struggling to find space in behind the Maccabi backline, until Lorenz Assignon stepped up. The full-back’s first-time volley from a Maximilian Mittelstädt cross provided the hosts with a well-deserved opener, before Tiago Tomás finished off a slick passing move to give them a comfortable half-time lead.

The hosts made the perfect start to the second 45, going on the offensive and winning a penalty, which Mittelstädt gladly dispatched. However, the Swabians were caught out overcommitting in pursuit of more goals as Maccabi's Roy Revivo pulled one back just 120 seconds after Mittelstädt's penalty.

Stuttgart never really got back into their groove, but were still able to bag a late fourth thanks to the fine work of substitutes Badredine Bouanani and Josha Vagnoman. The goal capped another confident European display that keeps the Swabians right in the hunt for automatic qualification for the last 16.

Sebastian Hoeneß’s side's penultimate league-phase fixture takes them to Roma on 22 January.

See Stuttgart's Europa League results and fixures here!

Recap the action against Tel Aviv below...

4 - 1

(2 - 0)

Stuttgart

FINAL

Tel Aviv

Europa League
League phase, Matchday 6 League phase, Matchday 6 MHPArena

Full-time: Stuttgart 4-1 Maccabi Tel Aviv

Having gone into the break head and shoulders above the opposition, Stuttgart were made to sweat in the second half. Having made it 3-0, they instantly conceded at the other end, with Maccabi being a constant threat on the counter in the second 45. Peretz then went close to scoring a second for the visitors, before Stuttgart gained enough control to see them to the finish line - where Vagnoman added a fourth with almost the last kick (or head) of the game.

© Alexander Hassenstein

Full-time

90'

+ 4

It's four!

Bouanani beats his defender before putting in a perfect cross into the six-yard area, where the substitute Vagnoman is waiting to head home.

90'

+ 4

Josha Vagnoman

GOAL!

4:1

90'

+ 2

Substitution

Elai Ben Simon

Helio Varela

90'

Substitution

Josha Vagnoman

Lorenz Assignon

89'

Late goal?

Stuttgart are enjoying a late spell of pressure, can they find a fourth before the final whistle?

84'

End in sight

Despite not being quite at their best in this second half, Stuttgart aren't far away from another European win.

82'

Yellow card

Itay Ben Hamo

81'

Substitution

Sayed Abu Farhi

Elad Madmon

78'

Claim denied

Maccabi appeal for a penalty after a coming together in the box, but the referee quickly dismisses those calls.

75'

Substitution

Badredine Bouanani

Lazar Jovanović

73'

Out of control

The hosts haven't kept the ball as well as they could in this half, with the visitors continuing to cause them problems.

71'

Substitution

Mohamed Camara

Tyrese Asante

68'

Führich fires over

Having done well to beat two players as he cut inside, he then gets underneath his strike and sees it fly well over the bar.

65'

Yellow card

Bilal El Khannouss

64'

Changes afoot

Stuttgart will look to stem the tide of Maccabi pressure with some fresh legs.

62'

Substitution

Chema Andrés

Angelo Stiller

62'

Substitution

Jamie Leweling

Deniz Undav

62'

Substitution

Bilal El Khannouss

Tiago Tomás

Huge chance!

Peretz has acres of space ahead of him with the hosts again being caught out. He races toward goal before pulling his finish wide of the far post from a great position.

© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Goldberg

56'

End-to-end

Stuttgart have been vulnerable on the counter attack a few times since their third goal, turning this game into a much more even affair.

55'

Yellow card

Mohamed Camara

Maccabi have one back!

A long ball catches the Stuttgart defence out and Revivo gets on the end of it, before slotting the ball past Nübel.

© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Goldberg

51'

Roy Revivo

GOAL!

3:1

Stuttgart now three to the good!

Mittelstädt steps up and sweeps the penalty home, sending Mishpati the wrong way.

© THOMAS KIENZLE

49'

Maximilian Mittelstädt

GOAL!

3:0

Penalty

48'

Penalty for Stuttgart!

Karazor knocks down a cross to the back post and it hits a Maccabi hand. The referee points straight to the spot.

46'

Substitution

Dor Peretz

Kervin Andrade

46'

Substitution

Osher Davida

Itamar Noy

46'

We're back!

The action resumes here in Stuttgart.

Kick-off!

Half-time: Stuttgart 2-0 Maccabi Tel Aviv

Stuttgart go into the break with a comfortable lead, having not been troubled by the visitors so far. Assignon opened the scoring with his first goal for the club, before Tomás' simple finish doubled their lead not long before the break.

© THOMAS KIENZLE

Half-time

45'

Two additional minutes

The break is just around the corner for the two sides.

41'

Frustrated

The visitors are giving away cheap fouls far too regularly, as they struggle to keep up with Stuttgart's tempo.

Tomás doubles the lead!

A one-two between Stiller and Undav puts the latter in behind the Maccabi defence. Undav then rounds the on-rushing 'keeper before squaring for Tomás to score.

© Alexander Hassenstein

37'

Tiago Tomás

GOAL!

2:0

34'

Almost a second

Undav sets Führich free down the left before receiving the ball back inside the box. He tries to place it into the bottom corner, but the 'keeper gets his fingertips to it.

30'

First booking

Jovanović jumps into a tackle in an attempt to halt a Maccabi counter, but only succeeds in getting himself a yellow card.

29'

Yellow card

Lazar Jovanović

The hosts break the deadlock!

Mittelstädt's cross travels all the way to the far post, where the unmarked Assignon volleys home first-time to give his side a deserved lead.

© Alexander Hassenstein

25'

Lorenz Assignon

GOAL!

1:0

22'

Offside

Maccabi make a rare venture into the Stuttgart box, but it doesn't last long as Farchi is flagged offside.

17'

No luck

Andrade tries to swing in a cross but gets it wrong and sees it bend behind the crossbar and out for a goal kick. The visitors have struggled to escape their half so far.

13'

Fine margins

A low cross from Mittelstädt looks destined to reach Undav at the far post, but Heitor intercepts in the nick of time.

8'

Jovanović lets fly

They youngster cuts inside from the right and combines with Undav before firing toward goal, but his effort is comfortably saved.

6'

Too tight

Tomás tries to turn his man by the penalty spot, but the box is too crowded and he runs into a Maccabi shirt.

3'

Overhit

Führich cuts in onto his right and swings in a cross, but it sails out of play.

1'

Off we go!

The hosts get the action underway.

Kick-off!

More on those teams

Stuttgart rotate their line-up from their recent loss to Bayern Munich, with youngster Jovanović coming into the starting XI alongside Karazor, Führich, Tomás, Jeltsch and Assignon.

© DFL/Getty Images/Daniel Kopatsch

Stuttgart starting line-up

Nübel - Assignon, Jeltsch, Hendriks, Mittelstädt - Karazor (c), Stiller - Jovanović, Tomás, Führich - Undav

Stuttgart subs

Bredlow, Hellstern, Herwerth, Vagnoman, Chema, El Khannouss, Nartey, Olivier, Bouanani, Leweling

Maccabi Tel Aviv starting line-up

Mishpati - Ben Hamo, Camara, Heitor, Revivo - Shahar (c), Ben Harush, Noy - Varela, Farchi, Andrade

Maccabi Tel Aviv subs

Melika, Saadia, Asante, Cohen, Weinberg, Davida, Lederman, Peretz, Ben Simon, Madmon, Malede.

Front foot Swabians

Sebastian Hoeneß's side rank third in the Bundesliga for the number of shots taken (205) and crosses from open play (152), as well as average possession percentage (56) and percentage of successful passes from open play (86). Their entertaining style of play has them just a point off the Champions League places in the Bundesliga, and 12th in the European standings.

Badredine Bouanani on tonight's clash

“I think we can expect them to be quite defensive-minded and keep it tight. For us that means exercising patience. We need creative solutions and passion, and shouldn’t get uneasy if we don’t manage to score an early goal.”

© IMAGO/Grant Hubbs

Zarko Lazetic on facing Stuttgart

"Top top team, top coach. We expect very high intensity without the ball. (...) With the ball, they are very good, very direct team, good counter-press. They recognise very good, free space, free players, and we have to be very compact."

© IMAGO/Stéphane GUIOCHON

Reinforcements for Stuttgart

Jeff Chabot (pictured) is suspended, while fellow defenders Luca Jaquez and Dan-Axel Zagadou are out due to injury and Ameen Al-Dakhil, Pascal Stenzel and Leonidas Stergiou are not registered for the league phase. Stuttgart have boosted their options by including two talents from their U21 team in the matchday squad - defenders Christopher Olivier and Maximilian Herwerth, who are both 19.

© DFL/Getty Images/Daniel Kopatsch

Deniz Undav ahead of the match

"We can take a big step towards the knockout rounds. We have to win and focus on our performance."

© DFL/Getty Images/Leon Kügeler

Sebastian Hoeneß on facing Maccabi Tel Aviv

"It's a very important match. If we get a win, there's a very good chance we'll stay in the competition having reached 12 points. After the DFB Cup, that'll be another thing ticked off, and that's the aim."

© IMAGO/Franziska Gora

Fabian Wohlgemuth draws line under Bayern defeat

Stuttgart's sporting director highlighted the importance of forgetting the thrashing from Bayern ahead of a big game in the Europa League, saying: “Everyone will be eager to make amends [for the game against Bayern] and get this defeat out of their heads with an especially good performance. It will be important to focus above all on opportunities - the chance to achieve something historic in this competition. That should drive us. No matter who the opponent is, and no matter what happened the weekend before.”

© IMAGO/Ulrich Wagner

Veritable fortress

The defeat to Bayern aside, Stuttgart's record at home this season has been near flawless. Sebastian Hoeneß’s men have lost to only Bayern at the MHPArena in the Bundesliga this season. On the continent too, their record has been perfect at home, having claimed two wins from two (against Celta Vigo and Feyenoord).

© DFL/Getty Images/Daniel Kopatsch

Leading the way

Bilal El Khannouss is Stuttgart's top scorer in the Europa League this campaign, with three goals in five appearances, which ranks him as the joint-fifth highest scorer in the competition.

© INA FASSBENDER

2:52

Watch: Undav in serious form

Despite failing to find the net against Bayern on the weekend, Stuttgart's forward has been in scintillating form this season, with seven goals in nine Bundesliga appearances this term, in addition to one goal and two assists on the continent.

2:03

Stuttgart stunned

Stuttgart fell to their first defeat at home in the Bundesliga this season on Saturday, losing 5-0 to Bayern. Given the champions' rampant form, they will hope to be able to shake that off.

Maccabi slip

The Tel Aviv side (pictured in their Europa League defeat at Aston Villa) were beaten 1-0 at Hapoel Be'er Sheva on Sunday to remain in second and see the gap widen at the top of the Israeli Premier League to five points to their opponents.

© IMAGO/Anna Gowthorpe/Shutterstock

Head-to-head

This meeting is the first time the two have faced. Stuttgart, though, have played an Israeli side once before, beating Hapoel Haifa 4-0 in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup. Maccabi, meanwhile, have more experience against German sides, playing nine times against such opposition. They have lost five of them, winning just once - 4-2 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2013/14 Europa League group phase.

© imago sportfotodienst

Maccabi Tel Aviv - the story so far

Maccabi require an incredible turnaround if they are to qualify for the knockout stages. A 0-0 draw against PAOK represented a positive start, but they have not picked up a single point since, losing four games and conceding 14 goals.

© IMAGO/Andrew Yates

Stuttgart - the story so far

Despite a mixed start, Stuttgart are well placed to reach the knockout stages and, with a strong run, they could end up in the top eight. After a victory over Celta Vigo, they lost back-to-back games to Basel and Fenerbahçe as they stumbled. They have recovered well, though, beating Feyenoord and Go Ahead Eagles in consecutive games to nil.

© IMAGO/Revierfoto

Welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of VfB Stuttgart's Europa League encounter at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv on Matchday 6 of the league phase, which kicks off at 6.45pm CET on Thursday.

About the clubs

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