Stuttgart Stun Leverkusen 4-2: Demirovic Brace Not Enough as Visitors Run Riot
SportSignals Match Desk · Football analysis desk ·
Let me tell you exactly what happened here. Stuttgart came to the BayArena, competed harder than the home side, and walked away with three points they fully deserved. Bayer Leverkusen lost 4-2 on their own patch. That is not a freak result. That is accountability failing to show up.
The Match in Plain English
Stuttgart were better. Not slightly better. Considerably better. They had 63 per cent of the ball. They registered 24 shots to Leverkusen's 15. They won more duels, completed more passes, and created more danger. Leverkusen had the home crowd and not much else.
The thing is, Leverkusen actually started well enough. Ermedin Demirovic opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a left-foot finish, assisted by Bilal El Khannouss. Jamie Leweling added a second in the 22nd minute, assisted by Grischa Prömel. Two goals in 22 minutes at home. At that point you are thinking, job done, see you next week. But Leverkusen could not hold it. Patrik Schick pulled one back for Leverkusen with a header on 28 minutes, assisted by Aleix García, and just like that the lead was halved before half-time.
Then the match fell apart at the seams. Four yellow cards were shown in a four-minute window around the 40th minute. Jeff Chabot and Luca Jaquez picked up bookings for Stuttgart. Aleix García and Facundo Medina were carded for Leverkusen. Arguments, fouls, tempers fraying. This was not a football match anymore. It was a scene.
The Second Half: Stuttgart Take Control
Bilal El Khannouss gave Stuttgart the lead again on 51 minutes with a right-foot finish, assisted by Chris Führich. That was the goal that told you which way this was going. Leverkusen had no answer. Their shape was gone. Their discipline was gone. Luca Jaquez, already booked, was substituted off at 65 minutes along with Chris Führich. Leverkusen were managing casualties rather than managing a football match.
Demirovic did score his second in the 65th minute, assisted by Deniz Undav, to briefly raise the question of whether Leverkusen could pull something back. Listen, that question lasted about fourteen minutes. Ibrahim Maza headed home for Leverkusen in the 79th minute, assisted by Miguel Gutiérrez, and it was over. Four goals conceded. Game gone. End of.
The Numbers That Cannot Be Ignored
The statistics back up everything your eyes were telling you. Leverkusen had nine accurate crosses to Stuttgart's three. Leverkusen had 80 dangerous attacks to Stuttgart's 26. Leverkusen generated 17 goal attempts to Leverkusen's six. Stuttgart had 12 corners. Leverkusen had three.
The thing is, Leverkusen were not unlucky. They were outworked and outclassed in the areas of the pitch that matter most. Stuttgart won 52 duels to Leverkusen's 41. That is not a tactical conversation. That is desire. That is basics. You cannot build anything without winning your duels first.
Leverkusen also picked up four yellow cards of their own on the day. Eight yellow cards total in this match. That tells you everything about the standards on show from both sides. Chaotic football. Poor discipline. No control.
Leverkusen's Recent Form Tells a Story
Leverkusen had won three of their previous five Bundesliga matches coming into this game. That is decent form on paper. But they had also shipped nine goals in those five matches. Nine goals in five games from a side that is supposed to have standards at the back. Their clean sheet percentage across that sample sits at just 20 per cent. This is not a one-off defensive collapse. This is a pattern.
They had also just been beaten 3-0 by 1899 Hoffenheim in their most recent Bundesliga match before this one. Listen, a 3-0 hiding at home followed by a 4-2 defeat tells me the basics are not being executed. It is that simple.
Stuttgart Were Not Expected to Win This
Before kick-off, VfB Stuttgart's form read LLWLL across their previous five Bundesliga matches. Four defeats in five. Only one win, a 2-0 result against Paderborn. They had conceded seven goals and scored five. Nobody had this result coming.
The Signal That Won
Final Thought
Leverkusen had home advantage and scored two goals inside 22 minutes. They still lost 4-2. That tells you everything about the attitude and accountability in this squad right now. You cannot concede four goals on your own pitch and talk about standards. Stuttgart competed. Leverkusen did not sustain it when it mattered. That is unacceptable. Simple as that.
