Nine challenges won, a solo opener and a hand in the move for the second goal made Bilal El Khannouss the clear headline act as VfB Stuttgart beat 1. FC Köln 4-1 on 4 September. In VfB Stuttgart vs 1. FC Köln, Stuttgart had several scorers, but El Khannouss was the player who gave the match its shape and tempo.
It was a strong result in its own right, and an especially sharp first league appearance of the season from El Khannouss. Stuttgart finished with 3.01 xG, so the margin was deserved, but their best football still kept running through him.
El Khannouss was the difference
The standout moment arrived in the 39th minute. El Khannouss drove through the Köln defence, beat several players and nutmegged Luka Lochoshvili before finishing for 1-0. It was the kind of goal that changes the feel of a game because it broke open a match that still needed a spark.
His influence did not stop there. When Stuttgart found their second in the 60th minute, Grischa Prömel applied the finish for his first goal for the club, but El Khannouss was heavily involved in the move. That distinction matters here: the performance was creative and decisive even without stretching it into an official assist claim.
He also did the less glamorous work. Winning nine challenges is a serious number for an attacking player, and it helps explain why he was named Player of the Match. This was not a game built on one flash moment and little else. He kept taking duels, kept carrying the ball and kept dragging Köln backwards.
The only rating worth mentioning is the 7.0 attached to his display, and even that feels secondary beside the actual moments in the match. The more interesting early-season detail is that this was his first Bundesliga appearance of the campaign, which makes the impact immediate rather than something built over a long run.
Stuttgart had threats around him too
El Khannouss was the main figure, but Stuttgart were not relying on him alone. Josha Vagnoman supplied the opener and then added the fourth with a stoppage-time volley, a productive night from the right side. His top speed of 34.27 km/h fits with how direct Stuttgart looked when they got him into space.
The third goal came from Ermedin Demirović, who scored in the 75th minute shortly after coming on as a substitute. That gave Stuttgart a different kind of threat, and it turned a strong home display into a comfortable scoreline. Maximilian Mittelstädt also had a role in the attacking flow as Stuttgart kept finding ways to move Köln around.
Köln were not completely absent. Their 1.84 xG shows they created enough to make the game less one-sided than 4-1 suggests on paper. Still, Stuttgart were cleaner in the decisive moments and far more ruthless once they got ahead.
The result and what it showed
A 4-1 win on Matchday 2 always brings attention, but this one felt especially useful for Stuttgart because the leading performance came from a player capable of tilting games in several ways. El Khannouss gave them progression, ball-carrying and final-third quality in the same match.
That is why he looked like the defining figure rather than simply one scorer among four. Prömel got his first goal for the club, Demirović made an immediate impact from the bench and Vagnoman ended with a goal and an assist, yet the clearest memory from the night will still be El Khannouss stepping through defenders for the opener.
Stuttgart opened Matchday 2 by beating Köln 4-1 on 4 September, and El Khannouss left it as Player of the Match after scoring once and winning nine challenges.
FAQ
Why was Bilal El Khannouss named Player of the Match for Stuttgart against Köln?
El Khannouss had the game’s biggest moments in Stuttgart’s 4-1 win over Köln. He scored the opener in the 39th minute after dribbling through defenders and nutmegging Luka Lochoshvili, played a big role in the move for Stuttgart’s second goal, and won nine challenges across the match.
How did Stuttgart beat Köln 4-1 on Matchday 2?
Stuttgart took control through El Khannouss’ solo opener before Grischa Prömel made it 2-0 in the 60th minute. Ermedin Demirović added a third in the 75th minute soon after coming on, and Josha Vagnoman sealed the win with a stoppage-time volley after earlier setting up the opener.
Did Bilal El Khannouss officially get a goal and assist against Köln?
He definitely scored Stuttgart’s first goal and had a major role in the move for the second, but the match details support pre-assist involvement rather than an official assist. The safer reading is that he scored once, drove the attack and still finished as Player of the Match.
What did Stuttgart’s attacking numbers look like against Köln?
Stuttgart posted 3.01 xG in the 4-1 win, which fits the scoreline and the amount of attacking pressure they created. Köln still produced 1.84 xG, so they made chances of their own, but Stuttgart had more quality in the key moments and were far more decisive in front of goal.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
