DFB Cup: A late double-blow – Stuttgart turn the match against SC Paderborn
Stuttgart won the DFB Cup in the round of 16 against Paderborn. But for a long time, the second-division side looked like the sure winners.
After Constantinos Mavropanos gave Paderborn the lead with a slapstick own goal, there wasn’t much to see from disappointing VfB Stuttgart for a long time. Only at the last stage did the Swabians manage to turn the match around with goals from newcomer Gil Dias (86 minutes) and Serho Gerasi (90 + 5).
Mavropanos, Stuttgart, with a clowning goal in his own net
Mavropanos gave East Westphalia the lead in the fourth minute of the match, with a historic own goal. The Greek played a back pass towards his own goal without seeing his goalkeeper, Florian Mueller. Müller, who presented himself next to the goal, could no longer get the ball. As the German Federation later announced, Mavropanos scored with a back pass from a height of 48.1 metres.Own goal from the longest distance in German FA Cup history“.
Stuttgart did not bother the goal and immediately took control of the match. Guirassy’s free kick (ninth) was a good first chance for VfB, but Paderborn goalkeeper Jannik Huth managed to parry it safely. Shortly thereafter, Atakan Karazur and Wataru Endo attempted from behind and both strikes went wide.
Paderborn allows little
The Second Division could hardly put any accents in attack after the early goal. However, Paderborn’s defense line was so focused and strong in the duel that Stuttgart didn’t get any more dangerous shots during the first half.
Even after the restart, 14,000 spectators in Paderborn watched the same picture. Stuttgart ran, but had no clear scoring chances. Instead, Paderborn became dangerous: after a counterattack, Robert Liebertz used Felix Platt, who put his tackle on the crossbar (71).
Stuttgart’s newcomer, Gil Dias, scored live
It wasn’t until the 77th minute that Stuttgart got their first big chance: Chris Vohrich sent a powerful cross to the back post, and Guirassy didn’t hit the ball properly from an excellent finishing position.
And Diaz managed, less than five minutes after being substituted, to equalize Stuttgart. After passing Luca Pfeiffer, the Portuguese adjusted the ball and hit the corner from the edge of the penalty area, a sight to behold.
But that’s not all – Stuttgart wanted more. In the last minute of stoppage time, Guirassy headed in from a corner kick and scored VfB’s amazing goal.
Labadieh with his first win as a VFP coach
“We defended with passion and knew Stuttgart would get more out of the game. It is very bitter to concede the equalizer at the end. But then you see that there is a difference in quality here and therePaderborn centre-back Uwe Honemeyer said after the match.
VfB coach Bruno Labbadia celebrated his first victory in a competitive match off the bench in Stuttgart – and spoke of a well deserved success: “If you win too soon and too late, of course it’s a bit lucky sometimes. But if you look at the facts – we had 17-0 corner kicks and 25-1 shots on goal. “
Stuttgart vs Werder vs Fortuna
Stuttgart now meet Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon (5 February 2023). The opponent, Paderborn, receives Fortuna Dusseldorf in the second Bundesliga on Friday evening (February 3, 2023).