Ermedin Demirovic Shines with Hat-Trick in Stuttgart's Champions League Opener

On the night VfB Stuttgart celebrated 133 years of history, Ermedin Demirovic wrote his own chapter in bold ink.

A hat-trick, a statement, and a Champions League league-phase campaign launched with authority. Viking FK were the opposition, but this was Demirovic’s stage and Stuttgart’s party, a 3-1 win at the MHP Arena setting the tone for European nights to come.

Slow start, ruthless response

Stuttgart did not glide into this one. The opening exchanges were hesitant, the rhythm off, the home side feeling their way into a new European campaign. Passes went astray, Viking sensed a little uncertainty, and the noise inside the stadium carried a hint of impatience.

Then Demirovic arrived.

On 20 minutes, Angelo Stiller split the Norwegian side open with a clever, disguised pass. Demirovic read it instantly, darted into the gap and poked the ball home with the kind of economy that defines top-level finishers. One touch to open the angle, one to end the move. Stuttgart’s first real moment of incision, and they were in front.

The lead, though, barely had time to settle.

Two minutes later, Viking struck back on the counter. Zlatko Tripic finished off a swift break, punishing Stuttgart’s loose defensive shape and reminding the Bundesliga side that European nights rarely follow a script. The MHP Arena fell briefly quiet. Stuttgart had their warning.

They responded with control, aggression and, crucially, with Demirovic’s eye for goal.

A 12-minute treble

The pressure built. Deniz Undav began to drag defenders out of position, Stiller and his midfield partners tightened their grip, and Viking’s counters became more desperate than dangerous.

Demirovic sensed blood.

His second goal showcased pure power and precision. Working another move with Undav, he found space inside the box and lashed his finish into the roof of the net. No finesse this time, just a ruthless strike that left the goalkeeper stranded and the home crowd roaring.

Stuttgart were flowing now, Viking hanging on.

The third was the pick of the bunch. Again Undav linked up with his strike partner, sliding the ball into Demirovic’s feet in a crowded penalty area. Where many forwards would have snatched at the chance, he slowed the moment down. One touch to tame the ball, another to glide past a defender, and then a calm, composed finish. Supreme control in tight space, the mark of a forward playing with complete belief.

Three goals in 12 minutes. A hat-trick before half-time. Stuttgart 3-1 up and cruising, their earlier nerves replaced by a swagger that matched the occasion.

Focus amid the celebration

Demirovic walked off at the break as the undisputed star of the night, but his words afterwards carried none of the ego such a performance might justify.

“The win is a nice way to kick off the Champions League campaign,” he said. “We’ve picked up three points and I’m pleased about my three goals.” Straightforward, measured, very much in tune with the message from the touchline.

He knew, as did Sebastian Hoeness, that Viking were not without threat. The Norwegian side carved out moments on the break, especially in the second half, when Stuttgart’s defensive transitions occasionally frayed. Tripic and his teammates found space on counters that will not have pleased Hoeness or his staff.

Demirovic didn’t shy away from that reality. “We also know that we can do better in one or two situations and need to tighten up in our defensive transitions,” he admitted. The hat-trick hero talking like a leader, not just a finisher.

Hoeness’ side manage the finish

After the interval, the game shifted into a different gear. Stuttgart no longer needed to chase it; they needed to manage it.

They did so with maturity. The tempo dropped when it needed to, the ball circulated with purpose, and Viking were largely kept at arm’s length. When the visitors did break through, the hosts scrambled well enough to avoid serious damage, even if those shaky moments underlined the work still ahead.

Undav could have added a fourth late on, missing chances that would have turned a strong win into a rout. It didn’t matter in the end. Hoeness’ men controlled the closing stages, saw the game out with minimal drama, and banked exactly what this new Champions League format demands: early points, early confidence.

A forward in full stride

For Stuttgart, the broader picture is clear. Domestic and European commitments will stretch this squad, and the league phase will only get more demanding. Tougher opponents are waiting.

That is why Demirovic’s form feels so significant.

A striker who starts a European campaign with this level of sharpness changes the entire mood of a club. His movement, his understanding with Undav, his calm in front of goal — all of it suggests a player ready to carry responsibility, not just share it.

On an anniversary night steeped in tradition, Stuttgart needed a performance that pointed forward as much as it looked back. Demirovic provided it with three clinical swings of his boot.

Now the question is simple: can he keep striking like this when the stakes, and the opponents, rise another level?