With both teams on two losses and one win from their first three UEFA Europa League outings, Stuttgart and Feyenoord knew that a win would propel them to safer havens in the League Phase. Coincidentally, it'd mean winning the sixth of their last eight games would be a must for both sides.
A quiet first half saw Feyenoord starlet Anis Hadj Moussa come closest to a goal, with the Algerian winger's biggest threat coming in the 13th minute. Alexander Nubel was there to stop Hadj Moussa's effort, however.
Stuttgart couldn't find ways to get out of their shells and remained the underdog at home, where Feyenoord kept knocking on the door with chances for Ayase Ueda. The hosts' first signs of life came in the 69th minute, when Deniz Undav took Timon Wellenreuther under fire.
The home side finally found a breakthrough in the 84th minute through Bilal El Khannouss, who finely headed home a perfectly weighted cross from Lorenz Assignon.
With Feyenoord pushing for an equaliser, Stuttgart escaped in the closing minutes via Christian Fuhrich, who found an open Deniz Undav in front of Feyenoord's goal. The former Brighton man was handed a tap-in and decided the game with his injury-time goal.
The win saw Stuttgart jump 10 places in the UEFA Europa League standings, to 20th place with 6 points from 4 games. Feyenoord, meanwhile, couldn't escape the elimination zone and will look to claim a crucial win on November 27th, when Celtic come to Rotterdam.
Check out all the player and match statistics from Stuttgart-Feyenoord on Flashscore
