El Khannouss shines, Stuttgart crushes Cologne

Bilal El Khannouss was one of the key players in VfB Stuttgart’s convincing victory over FC Cologne (4-1) on Friday night during the second round of the Bundesliga. As a starter, the Moroccan international opened the scoring before playing an important role in the buildup to his team’s second goal.

The Atlas Lion broke the deadlock in the 39th minute after a remarkable individual effort. Served about thirty meters from goal, he accelerated towards the box, eliminated several opponents, and executed a nutmeg on Luka Lochoshvili before finishing with a slightly deflected shot. El Khannouss had already created a big chance in the 9th minute with a cross that hit the crossbar, headed by Josha Vagnoman.

The Moroccan continued to shine after the break. With an excellent control followed by a through pass, he set up Maximilian Mittelstädt, whose cutback allowed Grischa Prömel to score the second goal in the 60th minute. Substituted in the 78th minute, El Khannouss finished the match with two key passes, three successful crosses out of five, five duels won, and three tackles. His performance earned him a rating of 8.8, the best of the match.

Sebastian Hoeneß did not fail to praise his player’s complete performance: “He clearly deserves special accolades. He played a decisive role in our victory.” After their heavy defeat against Bayern Munich in the first round, Stuttgart thus secured their first points of the season convincingly.