Heidenheim's Sirlord Conteh, left, and Stuttgart's Bilal El Khannouss in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and 1. FC Heidenheim at MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany. AP
Smarting after a disappointing Europa League loss to Basel on Thursday, Stuttgart struggled to create chances against a Heidenheim side languishing second-bottom in the table.
In teeming rain, Leicester City loanee El Khannouss collected the ball just outside the area in the 65th minute, cut inside two Heidenheim defenders and curled a perfectly placed low shot in off the far post.
Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demirovic looked to have added a second in stoppage time with a clever chip, but the goal was ruled out for a foul in the build-up.
After their third straight league win, Stuttgart are now six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich and two points back from second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
Later on Sunday, Hamburg host Mainz while Freiburg travel to bottom club Borussia Moenchengladbach.
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