El Bilal Touré seizes chance to shine for Stuttgart
After sealing a sensational win at Juventus on Tuesday, El Bilal Touré netted a stunning drive from outside the area and hit a delightful assist as VfB Stuttgart beat Holstein Kiel on Matchday 8. What a wonderful week for both the on-loan striker and his club...
Sometimes in football, things just start to flow. Stuttgart had tried everything against Juventus in Turin on Tuesday, seriously stretching the Serie A giants' defence, sending in shot after shot, with Deniz Undav having a goal disallowed and Enzo Millot missing a penalty. Mali international El Bilal Touré was introduced as a second-half substitute in the hope he could make his side's dominance count, and just when it looked certain to be 'one of those nights' - he did just that, barging through to smash a sensational stoppage-time winner.
If sealing your side's first UEFA Champions League win in close to 15 years sounds like a handy way to boost your role as a new signing and gain confidence, the striker provided clear visual proof of that in his second Bundesliga start since joining on loan from Atalanta in the summer against Kiel on Matchday 8. He charged forward on a devastating break and played a perfect pass for strike partner Undav to give Stuttgart the lead in the first half, before curling a superb second - which proved to be the difference in a 2-1 win - from 25 yards out in the second period.
It is small wonder that Undav waxed lyrical about Touré's impact after the match, saying: "I know you must feel good after scoring against Juve and you want to prove it again. His goal and assist today were beautiful. I hope he can continue like that as we have a lot of matches to come."
With three Bundesliga goal involvements to his name now, the loan signing has stepped up at a vital time with Stuttgart relishing the challenge of switching between their Champions League campaign and attempting to recreate their fabulous league form of last season. They will be hopeful of more Touré heroics when they visit champions Bayer Leverkusen in the Matchday 9 opener next Friday evening.
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