Ermedin Demirović celebrated his first game as Stuttgart captain by scoring in a 2-0 victory over visiting St. Pauli on Friday, derailing the Hamburg club's impressive start to the Bundesliga.
The striker had a header ruled out for offside in the fourth minute but he netted one that counted just before halftime, weaving his way through a cluster of defenders and deftly chipping over the goalkeeper.
Angelo Stiller had a penalty kick saved by Nikola Vasilj after 26 minutes but he made amends five minutes into the second half with a lovely layoff for Bilal El Khannouss to add the second goal.
The recent signing from Leicester City ran on to Stiller's cushioned pass and fired a low shot into the bottom corner. Louis Oppie hit the bar seconds later at the other end.
Stuttgart moved up to seventh place with six points from four games. The end of St. Pauli's unbeaten start left it a point above in fourth place.