Stuttgart 5-1 Young Boys: Five-star hosts keep knockout hopes alive

Stuttgart came from a goal down to thump winless Young Boys 5-1 to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League alive.

The Bundesliga outfit find themselves down in 26th but just a point off reaching the play-off places, with Slovan Bratislava and Paris Saint-Germain up next.

Lukasz Lakomy fired Young Boys into a sixth minute lead, dedicating his goal to team-mate Meschak Elia, who lost his son on Tuesday after battling a brief illness.

However, Stuttgart drew themselves level soon after through Angelo Stiller after he was picked out by Josha Vagnoman before finishing past David von Ballmoos.

After failing to find a second goal before the break, Enzo Millot put Stuttgart into a 53rd minute lead following neat build-up play, with the goal eventually given after a lengthy VAR check.

The result was sealed just after the hour-mark through Vagnoman, before Yannik Keitel netted his first goal for the club to add further gloss to an impressive display.

Keitel's 75th minute strike was set up by the impressive Fabian Rieder, who became the first Swiss and Stuttgart player to notch a hat-trick of assists in a Champions League match.

Das Spiel ist aus. Der #VfB gewinnt das Heimspiel gegen BSC Young Boys in der UEFA Champions League verdient mit 5:1. Nach der Pause stellten Enzo #Millot (53.), Chris #Führich (61.), Josha #Vagnoman (66.) und Yannik Keitel (75.) die Weichen auf HEIMSIEG!#VfB |… pic.twitter.com/J9zYAcfYOK

— VfB Stuttgart (@VfB) December 11, 2024

Data Debrief: Home is where the heart is

After going into Wednesday's fixture with a lengthy injury list, including the likes of Deniz Undav and El Bilal Toure, Stuttgart put on an impressive showing.

The Bundesliga side registered an expected goals (xG) total of 2.32 from their 20 efforts, with their victory at the MHPArena 15 years in the making.

Stuttgart's win on home soil saw them win for the first time in front of their own supporters in the Champions League since they beat Unirea Urziceni in December 2009.

For Young Boys, meanwhile, they suffered their seventh consecutive defeat in the Champions League, extending their longest losing run in the competition.