Ermedin Demirović needed just 32 minutes to write his name into VfB Stuttgart history. Three goals against Viking made him the first Stuttgart player ever to score a Champions League hat-trick and placed him alongside a remarkably small group of players who have completed one so early in the competition.

There are few better ways to announce your return to the Champions League. After a disappointing campaign two seasons ago, VfB Stuttgart began their latest European adventure knowing that a home match against Viking represented an opportunity they simply could not afford to waste. Ermedin Demirović made sure there would be no uncomfortable opening night. Before the game had even reached the end of its opening third, Stuttgart’s striker had already scored three times and written himself into the club’s European history.

Demirović became the first Stuttgart player ever to score a hat-trick in a Champions League match. That achievement alone would have been enough to make this a special night, but the timing of his third goal added another layer to the performance. He completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute, something only four players had previously managed earlier in the Champions League proper since the beginning of the competition’s modern era in 1992/93.

Only four players have done it earlier

Scoring three goals in a Champions League match is difficult enough. Doing it before half-time is considerably rarer. Completing the job inside little more than half an hour puts Demirović in an even more exclusive category.

According to Sofascore’s Champions League database, which includes goal data from the 1992/93 season onwards, only four players had completed a hat-trick by the 32nd minute before Demirović. Robert Lewandowski remains at the top of the list after needing only 23 minutes to score three times for Bayern Munich against Red Bull Salzburg in 2022. Marco Simone completed his hat-trick for AC Milan against Rosenborg by the 25th minute in 1996, while Kylian Mbappé reached three by the 29th minute for Real Madrid against Olympiacos last season. Vangelis Pavlidis is the only other player ahead of Demirović, having completed his hat-trick for Benfica against Barcelona in the 30th minute.

#	Player	Third goal	Stage	Match	Date	Result
1	Robert Lewandowski	23′	Knockout stage	Bayern Munich – Red Bull Salzburg	8 Mar 2022	7-1
2	Marco Simone	25′	Group D	Rosenborg – AC Milan	25 Sep 1996	1-4
3	Kylian Mbappé	29′	League phase, MD5	Olympiacos – Real Madrid	26 Nov 2025	3-4
4	Vangelis Pavlidis	30′	League phase, MD7	Benfica – Barcelona	21 Jan 2025	4-5
5	Ermedin Demirović	32′	League phase, MD1	Stuttgart – Viking	9 Sep 2026	3-1

That means more than three decades of Champions League football have produced only five players who completed a hat-trick by the 32nd minute. Demirović is now one of them.

And unlike Lewandowski, Simone, Mbappé and Pavlidis, his performance also represented an entirely new chapter for his club. Stuttgart had played Champions League football across different generations, but none of their players had ever scored three times in one match in the competition. Demirović needed just 32 minutes to become the first.

The Bundesliga waited more than a year for another hat-trick

Demirović’s performance also ended a wait for German clubs in the Champions League. The last Bundesliga player to score a hat-trick in the competition was Serhou Guirassy, who struck three times for Borussia Dortmund against Barcelona on April 15, 2025.

The last Bundesliga player before Demirović to complete a Champions League hat-trick in the first half, meanwhile, was Karim Adeyemi. The Dortmund winger produced an extraordinary opening 45 minutes against Celtic on October 1, 2024, scoring three times as Dortmund eventually ran out 7-1 winners.

There is also an interesting connection between Stuttgart’s newest Champions League record holder and Guirassy. Before joining Dortmund, Guirassy produced one of the greatest individual goalscoring seasons in Stuttgart’s modern history, scoring 30 goals in 30 appearances across all competitions in 2023/24. His departure left Stuttgart with an enormous amount of attacking production to replace, and Demirović was brought in as a player capable of carrying a significant part of that responsibility.

He does not need to become another Guirassy. Their profiles are different and Stuttgart themselves have evolved since that extraordinary 2023/24 campaign. But nights like this demonstrate exactly why Demirović can become the reference point of their attack.

Could Demirović become one of the competition’s surprise scorers?

For Demirović, three goals on the opening night immediately change the complexion of his individual Champions League campaign. It would be premature to place him alongside the established favourites to finish as the competition’s leading scorer, particularly with Stuttgart still facing several difficult opponents, but starting with a hat-trick gives him a platform few would have expected before Matchday 1.

The schedule could help. Stuttgart should create chances against Slovan Bratislava, while the home meeting with Club Brugge represents another fixture in which their centre forward could see plenty of opportunities. Even against stronger opponents, Demirović’s physical presence and finishing ability give Stuttgart an attacking reference point capable of causing problems.

That will be particularly important against Atlético, Galatasaray and Inter, when Stuttgart are unlikely to control matches as comfortably as they can against weaker opposition. The chances may become fewer, making the efficiency of their number nine considerably more important.

After three goals in 32 minutes, however, confidence should hardly be a problem.