Hoeneß hails 'wonderful' 3-0 Bratislava win as Stuttgart stay perfect in Champions League
Hoeneß delighted with Stuttgart's first-half control
VfB Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß expressed his satisfaction with his side's performance after their 3-0 Champions League victory over Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday evening.
Goals from Deniz Undav and Ermedin Demirovic, alongside a Sandro Cruz own goal, secured Stuttgart's second consecutive victory in the competition, leaving them with six points from their opening two matches. Undav's strike was his first goal of the 2026/27 season, according to prior reporting on 15 October.
Speaking to DAZN after the final whistle, Hoeneß was particularly pleased with his team's first-half display, although he felt Stuttgart could have made more of their opportunities.
"In the first half, we didn't allow anything, nothing significant, and created a great deal ourselves," Hoeneß said. "The only thing that didn't really fit was the scoreline. I was very satisfied with that."
Difficult conditions in Bratislava
The Stuttgart boss also acknowledged the difficult playing conditions in Bratislava, with the poor surface causing several players to lose their footing throughout the encounter.
"They weren't easy conditions. I think particularly in the first half, when there were chances or opportunities to counterattack, they often came about because of losing possession in situations you normally wouldn't," he explained. "Players slipping, the ball bouncing away just before controlling it, those are things you don't normally see to that extent."
"But huge compliments to my team. It was important to keep a clean sheet and win 3-0. Wonderful."
Nervy second-half spell
Despite Stuttgart's convincing victory, the visitors endured a nervy spell early in the second half, with Slovan having a goal ruled out for offside before threatening again. Hoeneß admitted that his side could have handled certain situations better, although he insisted that his concerns largely centred on Stuttgart's play in possession rather than their defensive organisation.
"No, it wasn't about the defence. I think it was more about our actions with the ball. We needed a bit more composure," he said. "Defensively, as I said, there was the disallowed goal and then the shot against the crossbar. You can get annoyed about that because we didn't defend well there."
"Otherwise, we didn't allow too much defensively. It was more about how we sometimes handled the ball."
Perfect Champions League start
With Stuttgart maintaining their perfect start to the Champions League campaign, Hoeneß was keen to emphasise the significance of the result.
"We've started with two away games and have two wins to show for it, both with clean sheets. That was good, that was positive," he said. "We are delighted to have picked up six points in the Champions League. That's not something you can take for granted."
"Even today, there are results that you wouldn't have expected. That's why you shouldn't take anything, absolutely anything, for granted in the Champions League."
Stuttgart now return to Bundesliga action against Hamburger SV on Saturday.