Stuttgart make light work of Bielefeld to win Pokal | OneFootball

Sebastian Hoeneß’s team made history by ending Stuttgart’s nearly two-decade trophy drought. Stuttgart last won a trophy with their unforgettable Meisterschale in 2007, while we have to go back another ten years to trace the last time they triumphed in the cup.

Stuttgart started the tie as the undisputed favorites, but Arminia Bielefeld caused a stir with a historic win over last season’s double winners, Bayer Leverkusen, to reach the final. Compared to that game, there were no changes in the XI by Mitch Kniat, who also guided the club to a 2. Bundesliga promotion.

On the contrary, Stuttgart gave Pokal debut for Luca Jaquez in place of fellow winter signing Finn Jeltsch. In the midfield, Angelo Stiller’s return to the starting lineup is also a big boost for the three-time Pokal winners.

The tifos before kickoff lived up to the tradition of the Olympiastadion final as both sets of fans created a vociferous atmosphere. With only a minute on the clock, Louis Oppie and Noah Sarenren Bazee nearly repeated their combination play from 3. Liga’s closing fixture against Waldhof Mannheim

As expected, Stuttgart gained momentum after that, but the third-tier champions were not ready to go down without a fight. Sarenren Bazee was unlucky to be denied by the woodwork just before the decisive moment of the game.

The new German international Nick Woltemade puts Stuttgart ahead in the 15th minute after a superb defense-splitting pass from Stiller. Less than 10 minutes later, last season’s Bundesliga runners-up doubled their advantage through Enzo Millot.

The French U21 midfielder started the counterattack move after an amateurish mistake by Bieleld’s last line of defense. Deniz Undav’s alertness and unselfish play created the second goal before his name entered the scoring chart.

Once again, the quality difference between the teams was on display in Stuttgart’s third goal of the game. Undav had all the time in the world to coolly convert another measured pass by the sought-after midfielder Stiller.

Chasing an early three-goal deficit in a final is a monumental ask by itself, but it’s a different level of challenge when your opponent played the season two leagues above. Kniat made two half-time substitutions, but they were lucky to keep the score 3-0 by the hour mark.

Nonetheless, it was four before the one-sided match entered the last 20 minutes. Millot netted his second of the evening with a sublime finish following yet another mistake from Bielefeld’s defense.

Demirović entered play after Millot celebrated his goal by whipping off his jersey, while Ramon Hendriks replaced Chris Führich. While Bielefeld were still looking for their first shot on target, Hoeneß’s men created opportunities to inflict further damage.

The 4-0 scoreline could've been the heaviest win in Pokal final since Schalke's 4-0 success over 2. Bundesliga outfit Duisburg in 2011, but Bielefeld nullified that with a historic goal before continuing their dream moments later.

Julian Kania, who led their scoring chart, became the first 3. Liga player to score in a Pokal final with a clinical finish. By the 85th minute, Stuttgart's lead was further reduced after Josha Vagnoman beat his own goalkeeper under no pressure whatsoever. Alexander Nübel even had a solid stop to make in injury-time before Stuttgart eventually held their nerves to see out the result.

Including their championship-winning season back in 2007, Stuttgart had lost two cup finals since ending their 49-year Pokal drought in 1997. However, Hoeneß now adds an item to their trophy cabinet on top of last season’s Bundesliga heroics. As a result, Stuttgart will play in next season’s Europa League.

For Bielefeld, the cup run, which saw them knock out three Bundesliga clubs (including last season's sensation Bayer Leverkusen, of course), pushed them to their limit in the successful promotion to 2. Bundesliga. In addition, their fans put on a great spectacle alongside Stuttgart’s faithful.