Ermedin Demirovic Leads Stuttgart to Champions League Victory
Ermedin Demirovic marked VfB Stuttgart’s 133rd birthday with the kind of ruthless display every club dreams of on a European night, firing a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Viking FK that launched their Champions League league phase in style at the MHP Arena.
The Bosnian striker didn’t just score three. He decided the game.
From nervy start to total control
Stuttgart began like a side feeling the weight of the occasion. Passes went astray, the tempo stuttered, and Viking sensed uncertainty. For 15 minutes, the Bundesliga team looked more like guests at their own party.
Then Demirovic arrived.
On 20 minutes, Angelo Stiller slipped a clever ball into the box, threading it through a crowded midfield line. Demirovic reacted first, darting into space and poking the pass home from close range. One touch to set the tone. One finish to settle the nerves.
The lead barely had time to breathe.
Just two minutes later, Viking struck back on the counter. Zlatko Tripic broke free and punished Stuttgart’s high line, levelling the match and briefly silencing the home crowd. It was a reminder that Hoeness’ side still has a soft underbelly when transitions go wrong.
That was as good as it got for the visitors.
A 12-minute demolition
The equaliser didn’t rattle Stuttgart. It woke them up.
Demirovic and Deniz Undav began to combine with purpose, dragging Viking’s back line into areas they didn’t want to defend. The movement sharpened, the passing quickened, and the pressure mounted.
The second goal came as that pressure boiled over. Linking with Undav, Demirovic found space inside the area and lashed his finish into the roof of the net. No hesitation, no half-measures. Just a striker playing at full confidence.
Viking wobbled. Stuttgart smelled blood.
Minutes later, the same partnership carved them open again. Undav and Demirovic exchanged passes, the forward dancing through tight traffic in the box. With defenders closing in, he showed calm feet and cooler head, controlling the ball and slotting home to complete a 12-minute hat-trick.
Clinical doesn’t quite cover it. Three chances. Three goals. Game almost done before half-time.
Demirovic delivers, but demands more
Afterwards, Demirovic allowed himself a brief smile. Three goals, three points, and a Champions League campaign off to a perfect start.
“The win is a nice way to kick off the Champions League campaign,” he said. “We’ve picked up three points and I’m pleased about my three goals.”
He didn’t let the occasion turn into a lap of honour, though. The forward pointed to the moments of unease that still crept into Stuttgart’s performance, especially after the break when Viking broke forward with more intent on the counter.
He echoed Sebastian Hoeness’ view that, for all the attacking fluency, the team has work to do without the ball. The message was clear: enjoy the night, but don’t be fooled by the scoreline.
“We also know that we can do better in one or two situations and need to tighten up in our defensive transitions,” Demirovic added. “But on the whole, we achieved our objective for this evening.”
Missed chances, clear message
The second half never reached the same frenzy as the first. Stuttgart managed the tempo, kept Viking at arm’s length, and rarely looked in serious danger of letting the points slip.
Undav could have added extra gloss to the result. He found himself with late chances to stretch the lead, but wasteful finishing spared Viking a heavier defeat. It didn’t change the outcome, only the margin.
Hoeness’ side saw out the final stages with control, rotating the ball, killing Viking’s rhythm, and protecting what they had already earned. It was professional rather than spectacular, but that’s often what European nights demand once the damage is done early.
What will please Stuttgart most is what this performance says about their main man up front. Demirovic’s hat-trick didn’t just win a game; it hinted at a striker ready to carry a European load as the fixtures grow tougher and the margins thinner.
With domestic form to maintain and the Champions League league phase set to intensify, Stuttgart now move forward knowing one thing: if Demirovic keeps finishing like this, they won’t just be making up the numbers.
