Soccer - 0:2 in Stuttgart: BVB knocked out of the DFB Cup
Borussia Dortmund's probably best chance of winning the title this season is gone. BVB were eliminated in the last 16 of the DFB Cup after a deserved 2-0 (0-0) defeat at VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday. Top striker Serhou Guirassy (54th minute) and substitute Silas (77th) scored in front of 54,200 spectators for the Swabians, who celebrated their fourth competitive win in a row and will take plenty of confidence into their upcoming league clash with Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
Dortmund, who have been disappointing for long stretches and are already ten points behind leaders Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, will be looking for important points in the battle for the Champions League places against RB Leipzig on Saturday.
BVB faced Stuttgart's front two of Guirassy and Deniz Undav with a three-man back line, with captain Emre Can defending on the right. Unlike in the 2-1 defeat in the league three-and-a-half weeks ago, in which they had played miserably, the visitors managed to largely prevent Stuttgart's big chances, at least for a while. Undav missed the best opportunity for VfB, who dominated but were initially too rarely effective, with a header in the first half (24'). Shortly before the break, a ball loss by Dortmund's Jamie Bynoe-Gittens went unpunished.
Speaking of losing the ball, the runners-up made far too many of them in front of the eyes of national coach Julian Nagelsmann. As a result, BVB hardly put their quick attacking players in the spotlight. Marcel Sabitzer was unlucky with a shot that hit the crossbar (20'), otherwise Borussia did not get much going forward.
Ex-captain Marco Reus, Julian Brandt and Niclas Füllkrug had to sit on the bench three days after the 1-1 draw in Leverkusen. Füllkrug replaced the stricken Youssoufa Moukoko in the 24th minute, but hardly got any usable crosses in the center of the attack.
BVB coach Edin Terzic reacted and brought on Brandt for the second half to provide more offensive relief. Ramy Bensebaini also came on for full-back Marius Wolf, who had twisted his ankle in the first half. However, Stuttgart remained the dominant team. In the 51st minute, Guirassy failed to beat visitors' keeper Gregor Kobel from close range.
Shortly afterwards, the Swiss goalkeeper had no chance against Guinea's international striker and put the ball through his legs. It was Guirassy's 18th competitive goal of the season. In the league duel, he had scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot.
VfB almost made it 2:0 straight away, but Kobel made another brilliant save from Enzo Millot (58'). At the other end, Bynoe-Gittens' supposed equalizer was rightly disallowed for offside (60'). Borussia's great final offensive came to an end, but instead Stuttgart managed to score their second goal: Joker Silas calmly slotted the ball into the right corner.
Borussia Dortmund squad VfB Stuttgart squad
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- Julian Nagelsmann, the German national team coach, will be closely watching Bayer 04 Leverkusen's clash with VfB Stuttgart on Sunday, as they are from the same region of Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
- The elimination of Borussia Dortmund from the DFB Cup has made the title opportunity for RB Leipzig, their local rivals, even more significant, increasing the stakes in their upcoming compulsory game.
- Emre Can, the Borussia Dortmund captain, had a tough task defending against VfB Stuttgart's formidable strikers, Serhou Guirassy and Deniz Undav, during their DFB Cup encounter.
- Guirassy, who scored against Borussia Dortmund in the league duel, added another goal to his tally in the DFB Cup match, putting Bayer Leverkusen's title hopes in North Rhine-Westphalia under further pressure.
- BVB's French striker Serhou Guirassy had two golden opportunities to score against Dortmund but was denied by the visitors' goalkeeper on both occasions, making the scoreline 0-2 in Stuttgart's favor.
- The loss in the DFB Cup for Dortmund means they will have to fight even harder in the soccer league to secure a spot in the Champions League, with Leverkussen and RB Leipzig leading the way.
- Marco Reus, Julian Brandt, and Niclas Füllkrug were on the bench during Dortmund's DFB Cup game against Stuttgart, with Füllkrug replacing the injured Youssoufa Moukoko and failing to provide the necessary offensive spark.
- After the winter break, VfB Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen will face each other in a crucial soccer league game, with both teams aiming to secure valuable points in the battle for a Champions League spot.
- Borussia Dortmund's goalkeeper Gregor Kobel had an eventful match against VfB Stuttgart, saving a shot from Enzo Millot late in the second half and letting Guirassy's goal slip through his legs, contributing to the eventual 0-2 defeat.
- The loss against Stuttgart in the DFB Cup and the tight competition in the soccer league make Borussia Dortmund's quest for winning the title an uphill battle, as they trail Leverkusen by ten points with many crucial games still to come.
Source: www.stern.de
