VfB Stuttgart staged a remarkable comeback on Wednesday, overturning an early deficit to thrash Swiss side Young Boys 5-1, handing their visitors a sixth consecutive defeat in this season’s Champions League campaign.
The bottom-placed Young Boys stunned the hosts in the sixth minute when Lukasz Lakomy unleashed a spectacular long-range strike to open the scoring.
Lakomy celebrated the goal by running to the bench to retrieve Meschack Elia’s number 15 jersey, holding it aloft alongside his teammates in a poignant tribute to the Congolese striker, whose son’s passing had been announced by the club earlier that day.
Stuttgart responded in the 25th minute when Angelo Stiller found the back of the net, leveling the match.
The momentum shifted in the second half as Enzo Millot’s effort from the center of the box made it 2-1 in the 53rd minute. A lengthy VAR review preceded the goal’s confirmation.
Chris Fuhrich extended Stuttgart’s lead in the 61st minute with a stunning right-footed strike from outside the area, effectively putting the game out of Young Boys’ reach.
Josha Vagnoman added the fourth goal with a volley, further cementing the hosts’ dominance.
Substitute Yannik Keitel capped off the rout in the 75th minute with his first goal for Stuttgart, an impressive long-range effort that sealed the 5-1 victory.
Stuttgart, who had suffered a humbling 5-1 defeat to Red Star Belgrade after scoring first in their previous outing, climbed to 26th in the Champions League standings, bringing their points tally to seven.
Before kickoff, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of Elia’s son, adding an emotional weight to the fixture that resonated throughout the match.
