VfB Stuttgart suffered a narrow defeat at home against FC Porto in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 clash. Two costly mistakes in the opening half proved decisive, as the experienced Portuguese side punished every lapse with ruthless efficiency.

The breakthrough came in the 21st minute following a poor clearance from goalkeeper Alexander Nubel. The loose ball fell kindly for Terem Moffi, who made no mistake in front of goal to put FC Porto ahead.

Just six minutes later, the situation worsened for VfB Stuttgart. A risky sideways pass from Jeff Chabot was intercepted, and Rodrigo Mora quickly capitalised, doubling the visitors’ lead and leaving the home crowd stunned.

To their credit, Sebastian Hoeness and his players responded before the interval. Deniz Undav produced a moment of quality, outmaneuvering Thiago Silva before smashing a powerful shot into the net to pull VfB Stuttgart back into the game.

The second half was largely controlled by the German side. VfB Stuttgart pushed forward with greater intensity, while FC Porto relied on their experience to slow the tempo and manage the game.

The hosts thought they had equalised in the 72nd minute when Angelo Stiller found the net. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was ruled out due to an offside position involving Tiago Tomas earlier in the move.

In the closing stages, FC Porto defended deep with nearly the entire team behind the ball, denying Chris Fuhrich and his teammates any clear chances to level the score.

2025-26, Europa League

VfB Stuttgart - Porto 1:2 (1:2)
Goals: Moffi, 21 (0:1); Mora, 27 (0:2); Undav, 40 (1:2); Stiller, 70 (2:2)

VfB Stuttgart: Nübel; Hendriks R.; Chabot; Jeltsch (Jaquez, 70); Stiller; Karazor (Mittelstädt, 84); Leweling; Nartey (Führich, 70); El Khannouss; Demirovic (Tomas T., 63); Undav
Substitution: Tomas T. (from 63); Jaquez (from 70); Führich (from 70); Mittelstädt (from 84)
Bench: Bredlow; Hellstern; Al Dakhil; Assignon; Andres; Bouanani
Yellow Cards: Jeltsch 48; El Khannouss 90

Porto: Costa D.; Thiago Silva; Bednarek; Sanusi; Alberto Costa; Rosario; Sainz B. (Pepê E., 59); Fofana S. (Varela A., 80); Mora (Froholdt, 59); William Gomes (Veiga G., 70); Moffi (Gül D., 59)
Substitution: Pepê E. (from 59); Froholdt (from 59); Gül D. (from 59); Veiga G. (from 70); Varela A. (from 80)
Bench: Ramos; João Costa; Kiwior; Prpic; Fernandes M.; Moura
Yellow Cards: William Gomes 45; Thiago Silva 65; Varela A. 85; Sanusi 90