VfB Stuttgart won their DFB Cup round of 16 against SC Paderborn. For a long time, however, the second division team looked like the sure winner.
After Konstantions Mavropanos gave Paderborn the lead with a slapstick own goal, there was little to be seen of the disappointing Stuttgarters for a long time. Only in the final phase did the Swabians turn the game around with goals from new signing Gil Dias (86 minutes) and Serhou Guirassy (90 + 5).
Stuttgart’s Mavropanos with a slapstick own goal
Mavropanos gave East Westphalia the lead in the fourth minute of the game – with a historic own goal. The Greek played a back pass in the direction of his own goal without having his goalkeeper Florian Müller in view. Müller, who had offered himself next to the goal, could no longer get the ball. As the DFB later announced, Mavropanos scored with his back pass from 48.1 meters “own goal from the longest distance in the history of the DFB Cup“.
Stuttgart was not unsettled by the goal and immediately took control of the game. Guirassy’s free kick (9th) was VfB’s first good chance, but Paderborn’s goalkeeper Jannik Huth was able to safely parry. Shortly thereafter, Atakan Karazor and Wataru Endo tried from behind and both shots went wide.
Paderborn allows little
The second division could hardly set any accents on the offensive after the early goal. However, Paderborn’s back line was concentrated and strong in the tackle, so that the Stuttgart team didn’t get any more dangerous shots during the first half.
Even after the restart, the 14,000 spectators in Paderborn saw the same picture. Stuttgart ran, but didn’t have clear chances to score. Instead, Paderborn became dangerous: After a counterattack, Robert Leipertz used Felix Platte, who put his direct acceptance well over the crossbar (71st).
Stuttgart’s newcomer Gil Dias scores directly
It wasn’t until the 77th minute that Stuttgart got their first big chance of the game: Chris Führich sent a sharp cross to the back post, Guirassy didn’t hit the ball properly from an excellent finishing position.
Dias, less than five minutes after being substituted on, managed to equalize for Stuttgart. After passing Luca Pfeiffer, the Portuguese adjusted the ball and hit the corner from the edge of the penalty area, which is a sight to behold.
But that’s not all – Stuttgart wanted more. In the final minute of stoppage time, Guirassy headed in from a corner kick and scored the flattering VfB winner.
Labbadia with first win as VfB coach
“We defended passionately and knew that Stuttgart would get more out of the game. It’s very bitter to concede the equalizer in the end. But then you saw that there is a difference in quality here and there“Said Paderborn’s central defender Uwe Hünemeier after the game.
VfB coach Bruno Labbadia celebrated his debut win in a competitive game on the Stuttgart bench – and spoke of a deserved success: “Of course, if you win so close and late, that’s sometimes a bit lucky. But if you look at the facts – we had 17:0 corners and 25:1 shots on goal.”
Stuttgart against Werder, SCP against Fortuna
Stuttgart will now meet Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon (February 5th, 2023). Opponent Paderborn receives Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2nd Bundesliga on Friday evening (February 3rd, 2023).