TV Stuttgart saw off Hochheim 39 to 26 in the German Cup on Thursday evening. The visitors were never really in doubt after a second-half surge that left the home side chasing the game. And here's the thing about cup football — it often rewards teams that have the momentum behind them.
Stuttgart had been building something over the past few months. They beat Erlangen 17 to 22, then saw off Göppingen 33 to 32 in what was a tight affair. A victory over Flensburg-Handewitt followed at 37 to 33, and more recently they defeated Rhein-Neckar Löwen 26 to 32. By then, you could see the direction they were heading.
Hochheim simply couldn't match that level. The home side managed only 26 goals across the entire match, while Stuttgart found the net 39 times. To be fair, the visitors were sharper in attack and didn't make the same mistakes in defence that had cost them points earlier in the season.
The result leaves Stuttgart firmly in contention for a deep run in the competition. They're not just turning up for another cup tie — they're playing like a team that knows what it wants. Hochheim will need to regroup if they want to avoid being knocked out at the first hurdle.