VfB Stuttgart
1. FC Köln
| 0-1 | Osako | (22. Min) |
| 0-2 | Ujah | (33. Min) |
Marcel Risse
Stats 
Oriol Romeu in a duel with Yuya Osako.
Defeat to efficient 1. FC Köln
Ahead of the first game of the season, the VfB fans, mostly decked out in the white shirt with the single red hoop, marched from the railway station in Bad Cannstatt to the Cannstatter Kurve. The fans were eager to get behind their side and hoped to see them pick up their first win of the season, following last weekend’s draw at Borussia Mönchengladbach. In the end though, their hopes were dashed, with VfB slipping to a 0-2 home defeat.
The visitors got the first game of the season at the Mercedes-Benz Arena underway at 3:30pm, much to the excitement of the 3,500 travelling fans. The home fans were to quickly drown out their opposite numbers, and a similar picture developed at pitch level too. VfB combined well early on, with full-back Sakai setting up the first move after just 85 seconds, but unfortunately the Japanese international’s square ball failed to find a taker in the centre. The 23-year-old defender was called into action at the other end in the 9th minute, clearing a Köln corner off the goal-line.
Christian Gentner: "We controlled the game over long phases of the first half, but we were just not consistent enough in the final third of the pitch. After the 0-1, we never lacked the courage to get forward, but we weren’t exact enough." Post match comments
The guests from 1. FC Köln got their first genuine attacking movement going in the 22nd minute – and promptly took the lead! A deflected cross from the right by Miso Brecko found the way to Yuya Osako, who slotted home at the far post. Eleven minutes later, Köln‘s Kevin Wimmer launched a long pass forward to striker Anthony Ujah, who forced his way through and fired home powerfully to give the newly promoted side a 2-0 advantage going into the break.
No way through
For the second period, VfB trainer Armin Veh introduced Timo Werner in place of Martin Harnik and, similarly to the opening phase of first half, the hosts had clearly more of the possession. The visitors from Cologne packed their defence tightly and shut down the spaces with a determined team effort. With just over an hour on the clock, Veh opted to try create an attacking impulse, with Filip Kostic replacing Alexandru Maxim. Just a minute later, Daniel Didavi tested Timo Horn with a shot from distance, but the Köln keeper was equal to the effort. The ‘Cannstatt Boys’ pushed in search of a way back into the game, but there was no way though for the hosts on the day. In the closing minutes, Filip Kostic forced a save from Horn and Christian Gentner fired a volleyed shot over the bar, but in the end, the scoreboard at the Mercedes-Benz Arena was to read 0-2 after ninety minutes.
