Diehl on first Bundesliga goal: "Still at a loss for words."

Nineteen-year-old German talent Justin Diehl has already amassed an impressive amount of Bundesliga appearances for someone of his age. After breaking through for the Köln reserves last year around this time, Diehl was promoted to the cathedral city seniors last January as the Timo Schutlz coaching regime desperately tried to avoid relegation.

Diehl ended up making seven appearances under Schultz during the 2023/24 "Rückrunde". He even started once against his current team. Disciplinary issues eventually led to Schultz dropping him near the end of the season. Stuttgart picked him up this past offseason with the intention of helping him continue his development with VfB II in the 3. Liga.

A shoulder injury - combined with the depth of Sebastian Hoeneß' roster - meant that Diehl hasn't seen much action for either the reserves or the first team this year. Hoeneß unexpectedly selected him for his match-day squad against Frankfurt over the international break and gave him a meaningful thirty-minute shift off the bench.

This week, he was able to make a mark in his 12th Bundesliga appearance with the decisive 2-0 against Bochum. Diehl and fellow substitute Fabian Rieder - another promising VfB up-and-comer - combined just one minute after being subbed on together in the 77th. The Germany U19 international was full of excitement whilst conducting is post-match interview. 

“I'm happy to have got my chance today and to have scored my first goal," Diehl told his Sky interviewer, "I'm very grateful for that. What an incredible atmosphere in our MHP Arena. I can hardly believe that I have scored my first goal for VfB here. The boys were happy for me. It's incredible and I'm still at a loss for words.”