Demirovic Hat-Trick Blows Viking Away: Stuttgart 3-1 in Champions League
SportSignals Match Desk · Football analysis desk ·
Stuttgart 3-1 Viking. Write it down. Because that scoreline does not do justice to the gap between these two sides in the first half. Ermedin Demirovic put on a masterclass inside the opening 32 minutes, and Viking spent the rest of the evening wondering what hit them.
The Match That Was Won Before Half-Time
The thing is, this was over by the time most people had settled into their seats. Demirovic opened the scoring on 20 minutes, a right-foot finish assisted by Angelo Stiller. Tidy, controlled, exactly what you expect from a striker operating at this level.
Viking answered almost immediately. Zlatko Tripic levelled on 22 minutes with a left-foot effort, Henrik Bjordal picking up the assist. Credit to Viking for not folding straight away. They competed. For about two minutes.
Then Demirovic hit back on 26 minutes, this time with Deniz Undav providing the assist. And then again on 32 minutes, Undav assisting for the second time. Three goals. One striker. Twelve minutes of football. Stuttgart had the game completely in their hands before the half-time whistle, and Viking had no answer to it.
That is not misfortune. That is a mismatch in quality, and everyone in that stadium knew it by the 35th minute.
Demirovic Was Unstoppable
Let me be blunt. A hat-trick in a Champions League group stage fixture is not something you stumble into. Demirovic was sharp, he was clinical, and he executed the basics of centre-forward play to an exceptional standard. Three shots, three goals, done and dusted before the hour mark when Stuttgart took him off. That substitution tells you everything about the comfort Stuttgart were operating in.
Deniz Undav deserves recognition too. Two assists from the same player in a twelve-minute window means he was consistently finding the right positions and making the right decisions under pressure. Stuttgart's attacking pair functioned with real accountability to each other. That is how you win football matches at this level.
Viking's Indiscipline Cost Them
Listen, Viking competed in patches. They won 50 duels to Stuttgart's 45, which tells you they were not completely passive. They created four accurate crosses and earned five corners. There were moments where they caused Stuttgart problems.
But the discipline fell apart in the second half. Three yellow cards, all for foul play. Kristoffer Askildsen was booked on 42 minutes. Peter Christiansen followed on 54. Joe Bell was carded on 58 and then substituted off four minutes later. You cannot keep giving away free kicks and accumulating cards when you are already two goals down. That is not bad luck. That is poor attitude and a failure to maintain basic standards when the pressure is on.
Viking arrived in Stuttgart already carrying significant absentees. Two long-term injuries, one major injury, two suspensions, and several other players unavailable. That context matters. But it does not excuse the lack of composure in the second half. You still have to hold yourself together. You still have to compete within the rules.
Stuttgart Were Dominant on Every Meaningful Metric
The statistics back up what the eye test showed. Stuttgart had 62 per cent possession and completed 540 passes from 626 attempts, an 86 per cent accuracy rate. Viking managed 71 per cent accuracy from far fewer passes. Stuttgart created five big chances to Viking's one. They had 17 total shots to Viking's nine, with 11 of those coming from inside the box. That is relentless attacking pressure, game after game, chance after chance.
Stuttgart's goalkeeper was barely tested in any meaningful way. Viking's keeper, on the other hand, made zero saves recorded in the data, which tells you Stuttgart were finding the net when their shots were on target. The three goals from three shots on target is a conversion rate that any striker in Europe would take.
The only blemish for Stuttgart was 10 shots off target and two big chances missed. When you have that level of domination, you want to be more ruthless. But when the scoreline reads 3-1 and your star striker is on the bench before the 65th minute, it is hard to be too harsh.
What This Tells Us
Stuttgart were in complete control of this match from the moment Demirovic completed his second goal. They moved the ball cleanly, created chances consistently, and kept their composure throughout. Not a single yellow card all evening. That is the standards you expect from a side that is serious about competing in this competition.
Viking, to their credit, showed some desire in the early stages. But they came into this match depleted and left it beaten and booked. The gap between a Bundesliga side at this level and a team from the Norwegian top flight is real. There is no point pretending otherwise.
Demirovic did his job. Stiller set up the opener. Undav drove two goals with his creativity. Stuttgart did what they needed to do. Viking need to go away, look at themselves honestly, and ask whether their attitude in the second half was acceptable. I think they know the answer. End of.
