Stuttgart thrash Augsburg five nil to sustain European challenge

Augsburg showed early vulnerability when Deniz Undav's shot in the third minute forced Finn Dahmen to push it onto the bar, yet the hosts ignored the alert.

Just before the 15 minute mark, Angelo Stiller delivered a cross from the left that Dahmen punched down right to Undav, who slotted in his 17th goal of the Bundesliga campaign.

The home team appeared to have settled the initial Stuttgart onslaught when Elvis Rexhbecaj tested the keeper around the half way point, but that merely signalled further control by the away side.

Under 30 minutes played, a misguided clearance returned to the box via Chema Andres header, setting up Nikolas Nartey to flick on for Tiago Tomas to fire in.

On their immediate following move, the Swabians nearly extended the lead, with Nartey converting after beating his man to steer in Maximilian Mittelstadts low pass.

Things almost deteriorated further for Augsburg prior to half time after a penalty call against Han Noah Massengo for fouling ex Burnley player Lorenz Assignon, though VAR ruled it insufficient contact.

As expected, Manuel Baum introduced three substitutes at the interval, sparking a lively spell for Augsburg. Massengo struck from afar at Alexander Nubel, Cedric Zesiger blazed over from a set piece chance, then the hosts pulled one back. Robin Fellhauer roamed free on the flank and crossed for Alexis Claude Maurice, whose double attempt was stopped before Fabian Rieder smashed home the loose ball.

Any revival dreams evaporated instantly, as Stuttgart netted right from the restart. A lofted pass reached Chris Fuhrich, who shifted inside and forced a save from Dahmen, but Undav pounced first to bag his second.

In the closing quarter hour, Augsburg fought back valiantly with Dimitris Giannoulis drilling in a cross controlled by Kristijan Jakic, whose shot Nübel blocked, allowing Anton Kade to poke in the follow up. Yet Stuttgart sealed it with seven minutes left, Undav unselfishly luring the keeper to square for Ermedin Demirovic to notch the fifth.

This marked Stuttgarts first road win in four outings for Sebastian Hoeness team, recovering swiftly from their recent UEFA Europa League disappointment. For Augsburg, its their third loss in a row, and with nine defeats plus a draw in the past 10 meetings against these foes, they will welcome the end of this fixture.