Eintracht Braunschweig hosted Stuttgart in the Bundesliga still looking for their first three points of the campaign, but once more they came up short.
Despite a bright start from the hosts, it was Stuttgart who got the vital first goal near the end of the first half as Vedad Ibisevic flicked in Alexandru Maxim's free kick.
In the second half it was complete domination for the visitors, with Maxim, Ibrahima Traore and finally Martin Harnik completing the rout.
Read how the action unfolded below.
Hello everyone. Bundesliga clash number two is kicking off surely. I've just got time for the teams before we get going, so one moment please.
BRAUNSCHWEIG XI: Petkovic; Elabdellaoui, Bicakcic, Dogan, Reichel; Caligiuri, Boland, Kratz; Bellarabi, Kumbela, Jackson
STUTTGART XI: Kirschbaum; Sakai, Schwaab, Rudiger, Boka; Gentner, Kvist; Werner, Maxim, Traore; Ibisevic
We're just about set for kickoff. A reminder: the game just now ended 3-3 between Werder and Nuremberg. More of the same please!
KICKOFF: Here we go then. The hosts are in yellow and the visitors white.
SAVE! Ibisevic should make it 1-0 already! Traore does brilliantly down the right and his cut-back finds Ibisevic, whose effort is saved by Petkovic. He should have done better than just test the keeper I feel.
Braunschweig have started well aside from that early start from Stuttgart. They are passing quite well against the technically better Stuttgart. Sakai shoots from about 35 yards but straight at Petkovic.
Now Stuttgart are well in control of the passing. Kvist is the anchor in midfield and is seeing a lot of the ball. Sakai breaks down the right once more but Gentner's angled pass to him is too strong.
Ibisevic is almost in again, but there are a host of yellow shirts and Petkovic to weave through, and in the end he loses the ball.
Good defending from Daniel Schwaab. Elabdellaoui looks for Bellarabi down the left with a ball over the top, but the centre-back had a few extra yards as he read the situation so well and put the ball out of play.
The game has become a little scrappy in the last few moments and the only chance remains the one early on for Ibisevic. Bellarabi does well on the right this time to cross, but Kumbela cannot turn it goalwards at full stretch.
A corner from Alexandru Maxim is put behind for another one. There is a lot of height in the box for the visitors, but Boland does really well to head away and then gets fouled in the process. Good defending.
Little bit of pressure building for Braunschweig here. A number of crosses are coming in from both sides but Stuttgart - with Schwaab and Rudiger - are getting in the way of most of them.
There really has been very little to choose between these sides and Braunschweig are giving as good as they have got. Stuttgart will want to create more and will be less happy with their showing than the hosts.
Braunschweig are enjoying a bit of a spell here, but are yet to see the whites of Kirschbaum's eyes. They win a corner, though, which pleases the fans.
CLOSE! Kumbela is close! He leaps superbly to meet the corner and although Kirschbaum was beaten it bounces narrowly wide of the goal.
Stuttgart are coming back into it a bit more now as Timo Werner gets space to cross on the left, but his effort goes above and away from his teammates. It's intriguing, but not all that exciting at the moment.
Dangerous free kick on the right for Braunschweig, but there's that height in the box again for Stuttgart. It's headed for a corner, from which Schwaab again gets a touch behind for another corner. They're ramping it up now.
SAVE: Good stop from Kirschbaum! Caligiuri finds himself in but his effort just weak enough for the Stuttgart keeper to get down to and he was able to beat it away with one hand. He may well think he could have done better.
If any side deserve to be ahead it's certainly the hosts. Stuttgart are calm on the ball but have had no way through the wall of yellow so far. Sakai switches the ball to Boka, who controls brilliantly, before Traore is brought down by Boland. Dangerous area.
GOAL! Braunschweig 0-1 Stuttgart (Vedad Ibisevic)
That's hard on the hosts, but if you don't take your chances... For some reason Kumbela is marking Ibisevic as Maxim swings in a wicked ball right into the six-yard box and just a touch is enough to beat Petkovic.
BOOKING: They're suddenly really nervous at the back the hosts after being so solid for 40 minutes. If Stuttgart get another before the break this could be over, but the men in yellow are still in it for now. Bokas as booked for fouling Kumbela from behind.
HALF TIME: Braunschweig 0-1 Stuttgart
So the half comes to an end, and really it's flattering on Stuttgart. Before the goal the better of the chances fell to the hosts, but they did not take them and now find themselves behind after 45.
If Braunschweig are to win their first game since returning to the top flight, they have a big ask ahead of them. Stuttgart are a better side than they showed in that half, and I expect them now to play with more freedom after the goal.
There are some Braunschweig subs warming up on the pitch, so we might see a few of those at the break. Stuttgart I expect will stay as they are for now, although Konstantin Rausch is warming up.
There is a sub for both teams. Thorsten Oehrl is on for the anonymous Jackson, while it's a straight swap at left-back for Stuttgart as Rausch is indeed on for Boka.
KICKOFF: The hosts get us underway for the second half. Can they get back into this?
Oehrl gets his first touch and is very quickly brought down by Sakai. It's a very dangerous position on the left, but instead of whipping the ball in with power like Maxim did, Kratz floats the free kick out of play.
It has been a very strong start to the half from Braunschweig, but they are still lacking in genuine chances. It's an uphill task for them, though, just as it will be to stay in the league.
GOAL! Braunschweig 0-2 Stuttgart (Alexandru Maxim)
And that will make it even harder. Traore drills a shot from outside the box. It's low and hard but still Petkovic has to do better than parry it out into the path of the Romanian Maxim, who places into the side of the net for surely three points.
Braunschweig are still seeing a lot of the ball in the Stuttgart half, but I would now expect the visitors to become very dangerous on the break.
Werner has been a bit quiet on the left for Stuttgart, but he is only 17 and did get his first goal last week. And in fairness, Stuttgart haven't needed to be at their best thus far.
Kratz's delivery has not been good so far, but Kumbela does well to meet a corner there. However, he was about eight yards out and it was a huge ask to keep it down.
SAVE: Decent stop from Petkovic, but Traore has to score that! He breaks into the box and shoots from only about eight yards, but doesn't get nearly enough on it and hits it straight at the keeper.
The second goal early in the half has seemed to kill this one off as a contest. There is nothing going forward from the hosts and it is Stuttgart who are having most of the possession, as Traore slices wide from the edge of the box.
Credit to them, the home fans are still making noise. On the pitch there is a clear gulf - which Braunschweig will come up against week after week. They're in for a long season.
Stuttgart are passing patiently and Braunschweig just cannot get a touch. It's not great for the viewer, but there really is no need for them to attack at pace now, as Ibisevic puts a difficult chance miles over the bar.
STUTTGART SUB: On comes Martin Harnik, if Braunschweig thought their day couldn't get harder. The Austrian comes on for Werner. At the other end there's a marvellous clearance from under his own bar by Schwaab I think.
GOAL! Braunschweig 0-3 Stuttgart (Ibrahima Traore)
He has threatened all evening and this time Traore gets his goal. He drives at pace before playing a fine one-two with Gentner and curling the ball into the near post around the keeper. Brilliantly worked goal.
BRAUNSCHWEIG SUBS: Pfitzner and Ademi come on for Kratz and Kumbela. It is the former's Bundesliga debut.
Pfitzner looks likely early on and he has drawn a foul from Sakai. the fans are still chanting their hearts out and they fully deserve for their team to survive this season, although it looks unlikely already.
One point from seven games is certainly relegation form. Greuther Furth managed just four wins last season and early signs show that it could be even worse for Braunschweig. Stuttgart have done really well to ride the early pressure and since then have been comfortable.
GOAL! Braunschweig 0-4 Stuttgart (Martin Harnik)
What a brilliant goal. Rausch controls a cross-field ball, before playing in Traore down the left with a reverse ball. Traore looks up and puts the ball on a plate for Harnik, who was rushing into the middle to tap it in. So simple, but so good to watch. Meanwhile Cacau comes on for the visitors in place of Maxim.
"You'll never walk alone" is bellowed from the home fans in perfect English at 4-0 down. Brilliant stuff from them and they deserve a lot better.
FULL TIME: Braunschweig 0-4 Stuttgart
The referee calls it a day without stoppage time to put the hosts out of their misery. They gave 100% but the quality is not there. Six defeats from seven for them and they look doomed already. Stuttgart, however, were magnificent.
That's all from me today. Thanks for joining me for today's Bundesliga action. I'll be back with more on Friday and then throughout the weekend. Goodbye.
Written by
Matt Domm
Matt Domm
