Stuttgart’s first Champions League win of the new season was driven by Ermedin Demirovic, whose first-half hat-trick swept aside Viking 3-1 at the MHP Arena and put him at the top of the competition’s scoring chart for the time being.
Stuttgart 3-1 Viking: Demirovic settles the European night
SEO title: Demirovic hat-trick fires Stuttgart to 3-1 Champions League win over Viking
SEO description: Ermedin Demirovic scored three times in the first half as Stuttgart claimed their first Champions League victory of the season, beating Viking 3-1 at the MHP Arena.
Viking frustrated Stuttgart for 20 minutes, resisting the home side’s attacking pressure before Demirovic opened the contest. The Bosnia forward met Angelo Stiller’s delivery with a clinical finish to give the German club the lead.
The advantage lasted only two minutes. Zlatko Tripic levelled for the Norwegian visitors after a collective error in Stuttgart’s defence, briefly giving the travelling support reason to believe they could extend their resistance.
Demirovic quickly removed that uncertainty. The striker struck twice more with emphatic centre-forward finishes before half-time, completing his treble and leaving Viking with too much ground to recover after the interval.
Viking fade after first-half response
The second half brought no route back for Viking. Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness withdrew Demirovic, the decisive figure of the match, while the remaining home attackers failed to convert a number of opportunities to increase the margin.
That profligacy carried little consequence. Viking could not rebuild their challenge or force themselves back into the game, and Stuttgart saw out a controlled victory that gives their Champions League campaign its first three points.
