El Khannouss fires Stuttgart into Bundesliga top four / Photo: THOMAS KIENZLE - AFP
El Khannouss fires Stuttgart into Bundesliga top four
An excellent solo effort from Bilal El Khannouss took Stuttgart to a 1-0 home victory over Heidenheim and into fourth place in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
Smarting after a disappointing Europa League loss to Basel on Thursday, Stuttgart struggled to create chances against a Heidenheim side languishing second-bottom in the table.
In teeming rain, Leicester City loanee El Khannouss collected the ball just outside the area in the 65th minute, cut inside two Heidenheim defenders and curled a perfectly placed low shot in off the far post.
Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demirovic looked to have added a second in stoppage time with a clever chip, but the goal was ruled out for a foul in the build-up.
After their third straight league win, Stuttgart are now six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich and two points back from second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
Later on Sunday, Hamburg host Mainz while Freiburg travel to bottom club Borussia Moenchengladbach.
H.Rathmann--HHA
