Stuttgart took a significant step in the direction of securing Bundesliga standing for one more season on Thursday by thrashing 10-man Hamburg 3-0 at house within the first leg of the relegation playoff.
Fresh from a formidable finish to the season with just one loss in its final eight matches, Stuttgart broke the customer’s resolve early, former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos heading in after simply 44 seconds.
The house aspect added two objectives in three minutes early within the second half, earlier than Hamburg was lowered to 10 males when Anssi Suhonen noticed crimson for a excessive kick simply 9 minutes after coming off the bench.
Stuttgart defender Waldemar Anton known as on his aspect to “bring the same hunger” to Monday’s return leg.
“The season is close to the end. We’ve got one final step to take and if we play like we did today, I think we’ll make it.”
Hamburg, who narrowly misplaced in final 12 months’s relegation playoff to Hertha Berlin, now want a significant turnaround in Monday’s return leg at house to have any hope of first division motion subsequent season.
“We’ve still got a second leg” mentioned Hamburg captain Sebastian Schonlau.
“The chance hasn’t increased, but it is still there,” he added.
Stuttgart took the lead after lower than a minute, centre-back Mavropanos heading in a Chris Fuehrich nook.
The house aspect confirmed a fluency that belied its lowly desk place, Hamburg hanging on by its fingertips due to the acrobatic goalkeeping of Daniel Heuer Fernandes.
Fernandes saved a Serhou Guirassy penalty moments after swallowing up a low strike from the Guinean to maintain Hamburg within the recreation.
Stuttgart went into the dressing room only a purpose to the great at half-time, however hurtled out of the blocks within the second half, scoring two objectives in three minutes to take a commanding lead.
Hamburg-born and raised Josha Vagnoman slammed house an Enzo Millot cross whereas unmarked, electing to not have fun amongst his elated teammates.
Guirassy added one other shortly after, making good on his penalty miss.
Any likelihood Hamburg had of mounting a comeback was dampened with 20 minuted to go, substitute Suhonen proven a straight crimson after a excessive kick on Vagnoman.
Six-time Bundesliga winners and one in every of solely three German golf equipment to have gained the Champions League, Hamburg have been within the second division for 5 seasons.
Since the playoff system was re-instituted within the 2008-09 season, the second division workforce has gained the playoff solely on three of 14 events.
