VfB Stuttgart has become the first team to advance to the semifinals of the German Cup after securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Augsburg.
The decisive goal came from Germany international Deniz Undav in the 30th minute, helping Stuttgart break a three-match losing streak. The match saw Augsburg’s Frank Onyenka struggle to clear a deep ball, which was intercepted by Ermedin Demirovic who then set up Undav, who struck decisively to score.
Despite Augsburg starting the game strongly, they missed several opportunities to equalize in the second half. Substitute Mert Koemuer forced a good save from Stuttgart’s goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel but could not capitalize on another chance.
“It wasn’t our best performance, but what matters is that we qualified for the semifinals,” Undav told ARD after the match.
“I’m happy to have scored.”
Stuttgart’s coach, Sebastian Hoeness, will be concerned about midfielder Enzo Millot, who sustained an ankle injury late in the game. While Hoeness and the players celebrated their win, Millot remained on the ground receiving treatment following a foul by Dimitrios Giannoulis, who received a yellow card for his challenge.Augsburg’s elimination means they will not replicate their best-ever Cup run, which saw them reach the semifinals in the 2009-2010 season.
Midfielder Marius Wolf reflected on the defeat, saying, “It was a very open game. We had chances to defeat Stuttgart, but we didn’t play consistently enough. It’s always disappointing to be eliminated from the Cup.”
Stuttgart has won the German Cup three times and is aiming for its first title since the 1996-97 season. Last season, they were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Bayer Leverkusen, who will host Cologne in their last-eight clash on Wednesday.
The other two quarterfinal matches—Arminia Bielefeld vs. Werder Bremen and RB Leipzig vs. Wolfsburg—are scheduled for February 25-26.