BERLIN, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Bilal El Khannouss delivered once again as VfB Stuttgart battled past Heidenheim 1-0 to claim their third straight Bundesliga win at the MHP Arena on Sunday.
After a midweek European defeat to Basel, coach Sebastian Hoeness demanded a reaction, and his team responded. He made three changes, recalling Jeff Chabot, Atakan Karazor and El Khannouss to the starting lineup.
In steady rain, Stuttgart dominated possession but initially struggled to break down a compact Heidenheim defense set up in a disciplined 4-1-4-1 formation. Frank Schmidt's side stayed organized, closing space in midfield and forcing Stuttgart into long-range attempts. Badredine Bouanani fired wide early on, while Chabot and Jeremy Assignon also tested Diant Ramaj from distance.
Heidenheim created little going forward, with only Mikkel Kaufmann twice drawing saves from Alexander Nubel. The first half ended goalless as Stuttgart searched for a spark.
Hoeness reacted shortly before the hour mark, introducing Angelo Stiller, Ameen Al-Dakhil and Tiago Tomas to inject new energy. The changes paid off when Chabot's powerful effort was tipped wide, signaling growing pressure. Moments later, Maximilian Mittelstadt found El Khannouss in space, and the 20-year-old Moroccan loanee controlled neatly before driving a precise low shot from 18 meters inside the far post to break the deadlock in the 65th minute.
Heidenheim pushed late but lacked sharpness, with substitute Stefan Schimmer's deflected strike narrowly missing. Stuttgart managed the closing stages confidently to record a third successive home clean sheet, a feat last achieved 34 years ago under Christoph Daum's title-winning side.
"It was a tough match after very little recovery time against a deep-lying opponent," said Hoeness. "Bilal finishes very precisely. It was his third goal like that in a row and the decisive one today. We deserved the win, but we must finish the game earlier."
The result keeps Stuttgart fourth heading into the international break, while Heidenheim stay near the bottom ahead of facing Werder Bremen.
Elsewhere, Hamburg cruised past Mainz 4-0 with Rayan Philippe scoring twice, while Gladbach were held to a 0-0 home draw with Freiburg in a game of few clear chances. ■
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