Sebastian Hoeneß: “We deserved the victory”
| Third semi-final in four years | Selim Sudheimer/Getty Images |
DFB-Pokal holders VfB Stuttgart are through to the semi-final after a 3-0 victory in Kiel. Despite the heavy scoreline, it wasn’t a straightforward victory for the visitors on a cold night under difficult conditions. All the goals were scored after the break, with the last two coming after the 90th minute.
"We're delighted to have reached the semi-finals again,” Sebastian Hoeneß started his assessment of the team’s performance against the club from 2. Bundesliga. “We weren't quite in the game for the first ten minutes. Kiel were well-prepared, and we were too disorganized in our defensive positioning at times.
“After that, we adjusted our approach, implemented our game plan better, and took control. All things considered, it was a deserved win, even though it was a hard-fought match."
Stuttgart reached the semi-finals of the cup for the third time under Hoeneß in four seasons. Before the sought-after coach’s arrival, their previous appearance in the last four was in the 2012/13 campaign.
The holders are yet to play at home in this season’s competition. The draw will be conducted after two teams join Leverkusen and Stuttgart next week when the rest of the quarter-final action is set to be played.
