Stuttgart dismantle Hansa Rostock in DFB-Pokal
VfB Stuttgart saw off Hansa Rostock 4-0 in the Round of 64 of the DFB-Pokal at the Ostseestadion on Thursday evening. The German Cup fixture produced a comprehensive away victory for the Bundesliga side, who controlled proceedings from the opening exchanges. By then, the pattern was clear — Stuttgart's superiority in possession and territory told against a Rostock side that could barely penetrate the final third.
Dženan Pejčinović opened the scoring in the eighteenth minute before adding a second just before the half-hour mark. The Bosnian striker had his hat-trick completed in the eighty-second minute, capping a patient but ruthless performance. Tiago Tomás booked his place in the scoresheet in the seventy-fourth minute, rounding off a clinical display. To be fair, Hansa registered six shots on target but found the net none of them.
Yellow cards for Angelo Stiller and Florian Bohnert were the only bookings in a match that rarely lost its composure. Stuttgart made three substitutions in the sixty-eighth minute, bringing on Chris Führich, Florian Bohnert, and Yannick Michaelis. Hansa responded with two changes in the seventy-fifth minute, introducing Benno Dietze and Leon Dajaku. Andreas Voglsammer came off for Hansa in the eighty-fifth minute, while Stuttgart swapped all four outfield players involved in the first wave of changes by the eighty-sixth minute.
The statistics paint a picture of total domination. Stuttgart held seventy-five percent possession compared to Hansa's twenty-five, and their one hundred and thirty-five attacks dwarfed the home side's fifty-three. The visitors created three big chances against one, while their expected goals total of 2.14 sat well above Hansa's 0.71. Hansa managed more successful tackles — thirteen to five — but that defensive work came against a Stuttgart side that rarely lost the ball.
The result ends any lingering hope Hansa had of progressing from this tie. Stuttgart advance to the next round with a scoreline that reflected their control throughout. The visitors' six-goalkeeper saves tell their own story — Hansa created enough opportunities to trouble any defence, but against this Stuttgart outfit, survival was never on the cards. And here's the thing: four goals from eight shots on target against a side that rarely threatened back makes for an evening Rostock will not forget.