Fit-again Dan-Axel Zagadou led Sebastian Hoeneß’s team onto the pitch for their first friendly of the summer, away to amateur side SV Fellbach, with summer arrivals Lorenz Assignon and Lazar Jovanovic both in the starting line-up.
Justin Diehl put VfB 1-0 up early on and Hoeneß’s side continued to dominate thereafter, adding to the scoreline through Jovanovic (8’), an own goal (13’) and an Efe Korkut strike (25’) to go in 4-0 ahead at half-time.
Penna at the double
Fellbach pulled a goal back after the break (70’), but Mo Sankoh (73’) and a Lauri Penna brace (78’, 90’) bolstered VfB’s advantage for a 7-1 final scoreline.
Three injuries
The occasion was marred by injuries to Diehl, Salvatore Mule and Finn Leltsch, who all had to be substituted off.
Hoeneß’s reaction
Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß: “I don’t want to set too much store by a first friendly in terms of how we played. We saw some good things but we also conceded a goal. That’s never something you like to see. The most important thing in matches like this is to come through unscathed, so the biggest downside is definitely that we had to make three substitutions due to injuries.”
VfB line-up
First half: Bredlow – Keitel, Stiller, Jaquez, Diehl (Mule 21', Catovic 31'), Leweling, Assignon, Zagadou © (Penna 35'), Olivier, Korkut, Jovanovic
Second half: Drljaca – Al-Dakhil, Hendriks, Vagnoman, Führich, Stenzel, Karazor ©, Jeltsch (Olivier 88'), Catovic, Penna, Sankoh
Goals: 0-1 (6') Diehl, 0-2 (8') Jovanovic, 0-3 (13') own gola, 0-4 (25') Korkut, 1-4 (70') Bresic, 1-5 (73') Sankoh, 1-6 (78') Penna, 1-7 (90'.) Penna