DFB Cup: VfB Stuttgart defeats Eintracht Braunschweig in the penalty shootout

Defending champion VfB Stuttgart only survived the first round of the DFB Cup in an eight goal drama with extension and penalty shootout. Three months after the final triumph in Berlin, VfB tortured itself in one of the most exciting cup games of the past few years for an 8: 7 success in the penalty shootout at the second division club Eintracht Braunschweig. After 90 minutes it was 3: 3 (1: 1), after the end of the extension 4: 4.

In front of 20,865 spectators in the Eintracht Stadium, the Stuttgarters were already gone twice. Substitute Nick Woltemade only saved the favorite in the 89th minute with his goal to 3: 3. There, Sanousey Ba then went on an own goal (92.), but the biting, running and never declining Braunschweig struck again by Christian Conteh (104th).

This fight only ended in the penalty shootout, which was hard to beat in terms of excitement: the previously weak Alexander Nübel parried two penalty from Johan Gomez and Max Marie, but after that Ron-Torben Hoffmann also kept a shot by Chema Andres and Dan-Axel Zagadou shot past the goal. Nübel finally parried against Lukas Frenkert, while Lorenz Assignon converted the 20 penalty and had VfB cheered.

This trophy thriller had already started rapidly, because in the 8th minute Sven Köhler had given the outsider in the lead with a 30-meter shot. In the 77th and 85th minute, Fabio di Michele Sanchez achieved a double strike to 2: 2 and 3: 2. The 22 -year -old left -back had almost become a hero in Braunschweig again, because in May he had already managed an important goal in the relegation relegation against 1. FC Saarbrücken.

But after 90 minutes there was only a difference between the Europa League participant and second division team: the 1-1 (12th) and 1: 2 (60th) had achieved the Woltemade replacement Ermedin Demirovic. The national striker himself had only been substituted 18 minutes before his goal to 3: 3. The 3: 4 introduced Tiago Tomas Portuguese with a fine trick. The Stuttgart team had only signed the striker shortly before the season for a double -digit million amount from VfL Wolfsburg. The harmony cannot keep up.

The first AHA experience had caused the first AHA experience that the Bosnian international Demirovic and not the much-converted Woltemade played in the Stuttgart Sturm. But coach Sebastian Hoeneß quickly made it clear that this decision only served to protect and was not a sign of a new advertising from FC Bayern Munich around the 23-year-old Woltemade.

“Nick played the U21 European Championship, he got on three weeks later and we are now going into an English week. We just have to take responsibility and tax,” said Hoeneß in an ARD interview.

Woltemade only came into play in the 71st minute. He couldn’t like what he had previously seen from outside. All over the field, the Braunschweig stubbornly attacked Stuttgart. VfB took this almost every creativity.

In addition, there were several individual mistakes in the game structure – and especially in the goalkeeper position. Already in the sixth minute Nübel was attacked in the own penalty area of ​​Braunschweig Erencan Yardimci, did not hit the ball properly and caused a corner kick. Just two minutes later, the national keeper steered a hard but unplaced 30-meter shot from Eintracht captain Köhler. Nübel also looked bad in the 2: 3, the ball hit the Torwarteck.

In the end, VfB celebrated the first victory of the season in the third competitive game. But the Stuttgarters still have enough work.