Stuttgart fights back to snatch late victory over Cologne in Bundesliga

BERLIN, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- VfB Stuttgart extended its winning run with a dramatic 2-1 comeback at Cologne, sealing its first away victory of the season on Sunday.

Cologne responded strongly after its first defeat of the campaign in Leipzig and took the lead after just four minutes. Jan Thielmann won the ball in midfield and combined with Ragnar Ache, who released Jakub Kaminski. The Polish winger kept his composure and slotted past Alexander Nubel to ignite the home crowd.

Ache nearly doubled the lead moments later, but Josha Vagnoman cleared off the line. Stuttgart, buoyed by two recent wins, gradually settled into the contest. The equalizer came in the 28th minute after goalkeeper Marvin Schwabe lost possession and fouled Ermedin Demirovic. Following a lengthy VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty that the Bosnian striker converted to level the scores.

The second half developed into a cagey affair, with both sides searching for a breakthrough. Cologne's compact defense frustrated the visitors, while Stuttgart's possession rarely produced clear chances. Tiago Tomas came closest when his effort struck the post in the 70th minute.

The decisive moment arrived nine minutes from time. Midfielder Angelo Stiller threaded a pass behind the defense, sending Vagnoman into space. The right-back surged forward and finished clinically into the far corner to secure all three points.

Cologne pushed for an equalizer late on, with substitute Luca Waldschmidt going close, but Stuttgart held firm.

The result lifts Stuttgart above Cologne with nine points from five matches, marking their third consecutive win in all competitions. Cologne remains on seven points ahead of Friday's trip to Hoffenheim, while Stuttgart turn their focus to the Europa League away to Basel on Thursday.

"We knew it would be a difficult match at the end of a busy week. We never really had the game fully under control, which made it an open and wild contest right until the end with us as the winners. It was the classic gritty workmanlike victory, a win for our morale," said Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness.

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim and Freiburg drew 1-1 after Fisnik Asllani canceled out Lukas Kubler's early opener. Union Berlin and newly promoted Hamburg played out a goalless stalemate. Enditem