Perfect start

VfB Stuttgart got off to the perfect start in the new Bundesliga season, with Sebastian Hoeneß’ men earning a deserved 5-0 victory over VfL Bochum in front of 53,000 fans at the MHPArena. The boys from Cannstatt produced a performance that was the epitome of team spirit, desire, joy and ruthlessness in front of goal.

Serhou Guirassy (18’) and Dan-Axel Zagadou (38’) gave the side a well-merited 2-0 advantage at the break before Silas (59’, 67’) and Guirassy (77’) added to the scoreline in the second half.

Goals

18th minute: After some brilliant play from Hiroki Ito, Guirassy is well placed to score the all-important opener.

38th minute: Chris Führich’s free-kick finds Zagadou, who heads VfB 2-0 up.

59th minute: Silas fires in an outstanding first-time strike to make it 3-0 and pave the way for victory.

67th minute: Silas meets a cross from Pascal Stenzel and volleys in VfB’s fourth.

77th minute: Another Stenzel delivery and this time it’s Guirassy who finds the net, coolly finding the far corner.

Reaction

Alexander Nübel: “At the start we were lucky that Bochum didn’t take the lead straight away. Then we’d have been chasing the game. After that we got into the match well and scored at the right time. As a goalkeeper, I’m happy with the clean sheet. Every game without conceding a goal gives us more confidence.”

Sebastian Hoeneß: “Overall it was a really good performance. Sometimes games go like that, and we contributed a lot towards that happening. Having said that, we need to put this match behind us during the week before we travel to Leipzig. But I don’t get the feeling that any of the players are getting ahead of themselves. We know what our strengths are, but the last couple of years have shown that it suits us to keep our feet on the ground.”