Match Report

Hamburg exit DFB Pokal at the hands of Stuttgart

Hamadi Al Ghaddioui's 114th-minute winner sees VfB Stuttgart enter the final 16 of the DFB Pokal at the expense of Hamburg.

VfB Stuttgart exacted revenge for their league loss at the hands of Hamburger SV, sealing a 2-1 win in extra time on Tuesday (29th October) at the Voksparkstadion. The two sides continued where they had left off in Saturday's league encounter in a frenetic opening, with Aaron Hunt's 16th-minute penalty putting Hamburg back on level terms after Nicolás González's opener from the spot. Yet as the game went on, the pace evaporated, with few chances of note for either side in the second period, leading to extra time in the DFB Pokal for the second time in a row for the Rothosen. There was to be no happy ending this time as in Chemnitz, as Hamadi Al Ghaddioui struck in the 114th minute to hand the Swabians a victory that was deserved on the balance of play.

Aaron Hunt was welcomed back to the starting line-up with a goal, sending Bredlow the wrong way in the 16th minute to level things up.

Hunt cancels out early González opener

Dieter Hecking made four changes from the team that had beaten Stuttgart in the league on Saturday, with Lukas Hinterseer replacing fellow Austrian Martin Harnik who injured himself in the warm-up. The game could not have got off to a worse possible start, as, with barely 40 seconds having been played, Gideon Jung fouled Philipp Förster in the box, and Nicolás González stepped up to convert the resulting penalty. The frenetic nature of Saturday's encounter continued apace, as, in the 15th minute, Hamburg were given a penalty of their own, with Santiago Ascacibar scything down David Kinsombi with an overly aggressive challenge. Captain Aaron Hunt, back in the starting line-up after muscular problems, stepped up and coolly sent Bredlow the wrong way to even things up after a quarter of an hour.

Both sides looked slightly vulnerable at the back, with long balls being Hamburg's undoing, and the pacy Hamburg counter-attack once again causing problems for Tim Walter's side. Stuttgart had a number of set pieces around the half-hour mark, the most notable of which led to Daniel Heuer Fernandes batting away a dangerous free-kick from 20 yards out from Gonzalo Castro. The game lost some of its momentum heading towards the break, with niggly fouls and misplaced passes disrupting the rhythm of the game, as the frantic beginning was replaced by a somewhat more tactical battle as the teams entered the break with nothing to separate them.

Adrian Fein's all-round energetic performance was not enough to inspire a cup win for the Rothosen.

Al Ghaddioui wins it in extra time

The flat end to the first half transmitted itself to the second period, with neither side asserting themselves on proceedings. Two free-kicks from dangerous positions came and went for the visitors, whilst the final pass was lacking in Hamburg's usual cutting counter-attacking play. Bakery Jatta had the best chance for HSV with five minutes of regulation to go, yet his rasping effort was deflected agonsingly wide, sending the game to extra time, with Stuttgart having the better of a poor second period from both teams.

The Swabians carried their momentum over into the first period of extra-time, with Philipp Klement testing Daniel Heuer Fernandes from range before the Hamburg 'keeper was equal to Karazor's near-post flick from the resulting corner. The visitors got the goal that was coming six minutes from time, as Silas first hit the post, before the ball found its way to Al Ghaddioui, whose shot on the turn was past Daniel Heuer Fernandes before he knew it. The Rothosen threw everything forward in the last few minutes, without creating any telling opportunities. Dieter Hecking will be disappointed with the manner of the second-round cup exit, as his side failed to replicate the dominant display of Saturday's league game, and can have no qualms about Stuttgart entering the final 16, as Tim Walter's charges were the better side after Aaron Hunt's 16th-minute equaliser. HSV look to make amends on Sunday away at Wehen Wiesbaden in the league.

Game overview

Hamburger SV: Heuer Fernandes - Vagnoman (95' Kittel), Jung, van Drongelen, Leibold - Fein - Kinsombi, Hunt (68' Dudziak) - Jatta, Hinterseer, Samperio (68' Narey)

VfB Stuttgart: Bredlow - Stenzel, Kempf, Badstuber, Castro - Karazor - Mangala (110' Al Ghaddioui), Ascacibar - Förster (59' Wamangituka), Klement (120' Philips) - Gonzalez

Goals: 0-1 Gonzalez (2', p.), 1-1 Hunt (16', p.), 1-2 Al Ghaddioui (114')

Attendance: 45,503

Referee: Bastian Dankert (Rostock)

Yellow cards: Jatta (51'), Narey (111') / Kempf (11'), Karazor (18'), Castro (51'), Mangala (68'), Badstuber (107')

Red cards: - / -