Coach Sebastian Hoeness inspires Stuttgart fightback in Europa League triumph

Late goals from Bilal El Khannouss and Deniz Undav sealing a vital result at a rocking MHPArena.

The win ended a run of two straight European defeats and lifted Stuttgart back into knockout-stage contention, climbing to 20th in the table ahead of their Bundesliga meeting with Augsburg on Sunday.

Hoeness' men had to work for every inch against a determined Feyenoord outfit. The visitors started the brighter, with Anis Hadj Moussa forcing Alexander Nubel into an early save in the 14th minute and troubling the home defence with his movement. Stuttgart struggled to find rhythm in the opening half but kept their shape, allowing the match to remain goalless at the interval.

After the break, the momentum began to shift. El Khannouss went close just before the hour mark when his curling effort was palmed away by Timon Wellenreuther, while Undav and Jamie Leweling both threatened as Stuttgart turned up the pressure.

Their persistence paid off in the 84th minute. Lorenz Assignon delivered a teasing cross from the right, and El Khannouss met it perfectly with a powerful header that bounced in off the underside of the bar, sending the home fans into a frenzy.

Feyenoord pushed forward desperately in stoppage time, but Stuttgart struck again on the counter. Chris Fuhrich led the break and squared for Undav, who tapped home from close range to make it 2-0 and secure a crucial three points.

Hoeness praised his players' response to a tough start, saying: "The team showed a lot of fighting spirit and battled their way into the match. The first half didn't go the way we had imagined, we had too little possession, lost too many 50-50 balls and didn't create enough chances. At the end of the day, though, we showed that we wanted it more, put more determination into the match and managed to turn it in our favour."

Goalkeeper Nubel admitted the contest was gruelling, adding: "It was a hard-earned win. Feyenoord pushed us all the way and man-marked almost all across the pitch in defence, and gave us little to go on. In the second half, we ramped things up and managed to put away the chances we created in the final few minutes."

El Khannouss called it a "magical European night", saying: "That was no easy game tonight; we had to put a lot into it. We pulled together and came through some tough patches, and didn't concede. That was one of the keys to the result in my opinion, the fact that we kept a clean sheet.

"We knew that chances would come our way as time ticked down, and it's great that we took them the way we did and made it 2-0 soon after, which finished off the match as a contest. It was a great team performance. It's why we play football, to get to live out moments like these in front of a crowd like that."

The result not only reignited Stuttgart's European ambitions but also reaffirmed the growing influence of Hoeness, who continues to mould a side capable of grinding out wins on the continental stage.