Europa League
In a heated atmosphere: Stuttgart wins an important victory
Updated 11/27/2025 – 10:57 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The Swabians have little difficulty with the Go Ahead Eagles. Nevertheless, emotions run high during the game. A German national player stands out.
VfB Stuttgart scored an important victory in the fight for the Europa League playoffs. At the Go Ahead Eagles Deventer, coach Sebastian Hoeneß’s team clearly won 4-0 (2-0). National players Jamie Leweling (20th, 35th), Bilal El Khannouss (59th) and Badredine Bouanani (90th + 3) scored for the Swabians to secure success in the Netherlands.
The game was characterized by numerous fouls on both sides, especially in the second half, and emotions ran high at times. Referee Mohammed Al Hakim (Sweden) handed out a total of seven yellow cards, including six after the break.
The win pushed us into the top midfield in the table. Nine points from five games in the league phase would currently give the club two knockout games for a place in the round of 16.
In Deventer, VfB not only had to do without the ailing Tiago Tomas and Dan-Axel Zagadou, who suffered a muscle injury in the final training session, but also a large part of their own organized fan scene, who had left before the game. The background was that the Dutch authorities had banned the supporters in three VfB fan buses from entering Deventer because of alleged aggressive behavior, as the club announced before kick-off. “We are in close contact with the authorities and UEFA and are pushing for a complete investigation into the events,” said CEO Alexander Wehrle.
Even without the hoped-for support, the Swabians dominated the game from the start in the “De Adelaarshorst” stadium. Leweling took advantage of a fatal loss of the ball by the Go Ahead Eagles in front of their own goal to take the lead. Deventer didn’t find its way into the game, but VfB acted quickly: Leweling completed a counterattack with a dry shot into the near corner. The guests had little trouble and could have led even higher at the break.
With the restart, the Dutch cup winners appeared a little more courageous, but things weren’t really dangerous in front of VfB goalkeeper Alexander Nübel’s goal. Stuttgart managed the lead – then El Khannouss increased it by converting a pass from the strong Deniz Undav. Bouanani scored the final point in stoppage time.