Stuttgart
FC Augsburg
1
0
- Referee:
- Sascha Stegemann
FCA beaten 1-0 by Stuttgart in DFB-Pokal quarter-final
Undav with the winner
First Team
04.02.2025, 22:41
FC Augsburg’s hopes of reaching a first Pokal semi-final since 2010 came to an end after they were beaten 1-0 away at VfB Stuttgart on Tuesday evening.
FCA head coach Jess Thorup made three changes to his side after the 1-1 draw against St. Pauli in the Bundesliga. Nediljko Labrović replaced Finn Dahmen in goal, while Keven Schlotterbeck and Phillip Tietz also came into the starting eleven. Mergim Berisha, Robert Gumny and Steve Mounié were all missing with injury.
Augsburg had reached the quarter-finals with a thrilling 5-4 penalty shoot-out triumph in Karlsruhe, while VfB Stuttgart did so with a 3-0 win in Regensburg. VfB also recorded a narrow victory over the Fuggerstädter when the two sides met in a league fixture just a few weeks ago. On this occasion though, Thorup’s side, who were playing in green, made the stronger start to the match. Their first chance came following a corner in the fifth minute, but neither captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw nor Tietz could find the back of the net.
Stuttgart initially struggled to deal with FCA’s intensity and only managed to threaten for the first time in the 26th minute. After a chipped ball forward, Deniz Undav found himself with only Labrović to beat, but the ‘keeper made a good save at his near post. The opening goal did however come soon after. An attempted clearance was deflected into the path of former Augsburg man Ermedin Demirović, who intelligently pulled the ball back to Undav, and the striker made no mistake with his finish (30’). This sparked the hosts into life, and, just before half time, Chris Führich struck the post with a powerful effort (44’).
Two attacking changes
VfB remained in charge at the start of the second half. In the 58th minute though, Thorup reacted with a positive double substitution. Elvis Rexhbecaj and centre-back Schlotterbeck came off to be replaced by Mert Kömür and Samuel Essende – two pairs of fresh legs to bolster the attack. FCA switched to a back four with a midfield diamond, and began to pile on the pressure.
Essende, who is the club’s top scorer in this season’s Pokal with three goals, was particularly involved in battling with opponents for the ball. Kömür, who scored the equaliser against St. Pauli last time out, also had an instant impact. In the 71st minute, the 19-year-old let fly from distance and forced Alexander Nübel into a save. Shortly after, he hit a first-time shot from Dimitris Giannoulis’ pass, but Nübel was equal to it once more.
Despite plenty of endeavour, FCA were missing that final finish, as well as a little bit of luck. Sascha Stegemann blew the final whistle after four minutes of injury time, and Augsburg’s DFB-Pokal journey came to an end.
