Ruud van Nistelrooy knew he had to take matters into his own hands as his first two goals for Hamburg on Saturday secured them an important 3-1 away win over Stuttgart.

The Dutchman entered the field of play in the 65th minute and, little over 10 minutes later, he found the back of the net twice to determine the encounter and confirm why the northern Germany club have made him one of the top earners in the Bundesliga.

"For Ruud to score twice straight after coming on is extraordinary," said Hamburg coach Bruno Labbadia.

"But we know how strong he is in the penalty area. And he has proven that impressively."

Stuttgart coach Christian Gross acknowledged that Van Nistelrooy had been "decisive" in his first defeat since taking over as coach last December.

And Van Nistelrooy was delighted with the start he has made to life with Hamburg.

"These two goals are fantastic for me but above all they are important for the team," he said.

"It was 1-1 and we really wanted to win this game. Therefore, I kept looking at the clock and when I was brought on, I knew that I had to do something about it.

"This win will give us further motivation for the coming weeks."

Victory for Hamburg has strengthened their challenge for a place in Europe next season.