Into the second round

Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side came away with a narrow but deserved 1-0 success away to second division side Dynamo Dresden in the first round of the DFB Cup on Friday evening. VfB enjoyed more possession and looked the more threatening of the two teams going forward, eventually taking the lead through Darko Churlinov in the 33^rd minute. Tiago Tomás very nearly made it 2-0 just five minutes later, but his long-range effort hit the post.

Anton sent off

Stuttgart were reduced to 10 men in the 67^th minute when Waldemar Anton was dismissed for a second bookable offence, but they nevertheless went closest to scoring again when Pascal Stenzel struck the woodwork from a free-kick in the 79^th minute. Dresden pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages, but a committed display from VfB saw the result over the line, allowing them to celebrate a place in the second round when the final whistle blew.

Goals:

33’: Josha Vagnoman crosses low into the box, where Churlinov is in the right place to convert from close range.

Reaction: 

Darko Churlinov: “With my goal, I just ran to the back post because I knew that the defenders were focusing a bit further forward. Around the time of the sending-off we had a difficult spell and we struggled to get a grip on the game. But it all turned out well in the end, and in the cup the only thing that matters is reaching the next round."

Head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo: “We had a few chances to make it 2-0. We didn’t manage to do so, which made things a bit nervy towards the end. We had to fight until the final whistle, so it was a good opening match for us. That’s the foundation for every competitive game. But we’ll have to take things up a notch when Leipzig come calling next week.”