Stuttgart Beaten 5-1 by Bayern Munich
- VfB Stuttgart lost 5-1 to Bayern Munich in their Bundesliga opener, leaving them provisionally bottom of the table.
- A power cut knocked out the ceiling light in Stuttgart's away dressing room at half-time, though manager Sebastian Hoeneß confirmed preparations were unaffected.
- Stuttgart equalised through Vagnoman in the 52nd minute before conceding four more goals, with both Hoeneß and sporting director Wohlgemuth acknowledging the defeat fairly
VfB Stuttgart began their Bundesliga campaign with a sobering 5-1 defeat at Bayern Munich, a result compounded by an unusual half-time incident in which the lights in their away dressing room failed entirely. Manager Sebastian Hoeneß, 44, confirmed the power cut after the match, though he was at pains to dismiss any suggestion it had unsettled his players.
Power cut, but preparations uninterrupted
According to information from the dressing room, the ceiling light in Stuttgart's away changing area went out suddenly at the interval. Light filtering in from adjacent rooms remained sufficient to illuminate the space, and crucially the tactical presentation screen continued to function. Hoeneß told Sky after the game: "There was no light. It was bright enough, we could see each other and we didn't stumble. Everything was fine." The manager indicated that Stuttgart's half-time preparations proceeded without disruption.
Equaliser squandered, then the floodgates opened
Stuttgart's second-half performance, however, told a different story. After a sluggish re-start, the visitors found an unlikely route back into the match when Josha Vagnoman equalised in the 52nd minute to make it 1-1. That foothold lasted barely minutes. Within five minutes Stuttgart conceded twice to make it 1-3, and two further defensive lapses sealed a 5-1 scoreline that Hoeneß acknowledged was fully merited. The full details of Bayern's dominance are reported here.
Hoeneß drew a pointed comparison with the recent cup final, saying his side had again failed to convert a period of pressure into a goal before gifting the opposition the initiative. "Similar to the cup final, we did not manage to reinforce a good phase with a goal," he said. "It is particularly frustrating then to concede from a set-piece. The second goal must not happen in that manner — it is too simple, too cheap. Our standard must be to do things better in certain phases, to hold the ball and change the momentum."
Sporting director acknowledges bleak opening
Sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth, 47, offered a candid assessment of what the result revealed about Stuttgart's current standing. "I do not want to dress it up — this was a poor start to the season," he said. "Essentially it was a normal day again. The result, despite the defeat, is depressing. Now we know where we are. This was a position check against the German champions." Stuttgart sit provisionally bottom of the Bundesliga table after the opening round of fixtures. The club's pre-season difficulties had already offered warning signs.
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