Red Star Belgrade 5-1 Stuttgart: Five-star hosts earn first Champions League win

Red Star Belgrade recorded the first win of their Champions League season, coming from behind to beat Stuttgart 5-1 at the Rajko Mitic Stadium on Wednesday.

This was only the third ever win in the competition for the Serbian SuperLiga leaders, and they had to come from behind to move up to 31st in the standings after five games.

Ermedin Demirovic opened the scoring for the visitors in the fifth minute, taking advantage of some late defending to score his seventh goal of the season in all competitions.

However, Stuttgart loanee Silas Katompa Mvumpa restored parity six minutes later, driving from midfield before sending a curling effort past Alexander Nubel.

The home team took the lead just after the half hour through Rade Krunic, who scored his first club goal in more than two years, his last goal for AC Milan in the 2022/23 season.

Red Star continued to threaten after the break and was rewarded in the 65th minute when Mirko Ivanic headed into the third post via the far post.

Krunic turned supplier four minutes later, setting up Nemanja Radonjic on the tee, before the Serbian striker notched his second a minute from time with a low left-footed finish.

Crvena Zvezda wins in style #UCL pic.twitter.com/rl8UYkqQCn

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 27, 2024

Data debriefing: fifth time lucky

After four games without a win in the league, Red Star did not look like a side lacking confidence as they confidently eliminated their Bundesliga opponents.

Their win was their biggest in both the Champions League and European Cup when they came first, while they also inflicted the joint heaviest defeat in the competition on Stuttgart.

Red Star also scored five goals in a Champions League or European Cup match for the first time since a 5-0 win over Dundalk in September 1988, while it was their biggest win in the competition since beating Portadown 4-0 in October 1991. .