El Khannouss fires Stuttgart into Bundesliga top four

An excellent solo effort from Bilal El Khannouss took Stuttgart to a 1-0 home victory over Heidenheim and into fourth place in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

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Smarting after a disappointing Europa League loss to Basle on Thursday, Stuttgart struggled to create chances against a Heidenheim side languishing second-bottom in the table.

In teeming rain, Leicester City loanee El Khannouss collected the ball just outside the area in the 65th minute, cut inside two Heidenheim defenders and curled a perfectly placed low shot in off the far post.

Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demirovic looked to have added a second in stoppage time with a clever chip, but the goal was ruled out for a foul in the build-up.

After their third straight league win, Stuttgart are now six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich and two points back from second-placed Borussia Dortmund.

Later on Sunday, Hamburg host Mainz while Freiburg travel to bottom club Borussia Moenchengladbach.