Hoeneß, Undav and Rösler react to cup tie

Winning 2-0 against Bochum on the night, DFB-Pokal holders Stuttgart booked their place in the quarter-finals. Sebastian Hoeneß admitted that his side anticipated a difficult evening, but the early stages of the tie would turn the match in their favour at the Rurhstadion.

“We’re happy to have reached the next round,” he said, via VfB's website. “Early on, we could feel it might become an uncomfortable and tough match, but that didn’t fully materialise because the game developed favourably for us. Bochum defended deep and countered well, and at the beginning, we didn’t quite find the spaces we hoped for.”

Hoeneß noted that the opening goal and the subsequent red card swung momentum decisively. “The 1-0 and then the sending off gave the match a clear direction,” he continued. “The second goal, right after the restart, was almost a small decision in itself.” Hoeneß also praised Bochum’s development under Uwe Rösler, saying it had been “fun” analysing their recent games.

Goalscorer Deniz Undav highlighted the value of the early breakthrough. “The 1-0 lead helped us - that early lead was what we wanted,” he said. “We added the second at a good moment and gave the game a certain direction. We can still improve a few things, but in the cup, it’s about surviving and going through. We achieved that. I don’t have a special wish for the quarter-final, but a home game would be nice.”

Bochum head coach Rösler would accept the outcome, praising his team's discipline.

“Congratulations to Stuttgart on going through,” he said. “We defended in a back five without the ball and used a four in possession. My team showed exemplary discipline. We reacted well to the unfortunate opening goal, but we need to make better use of our chances. After the 0-2, it was of course difficult to come back."