No sensation in the duel David against Goliath: Europa League winner Eintracht Frankfurt did not show any weaknesses against the football league club Stuttgarter Kickers and moved into the round of 16 of the DFB Cup relatively easily.
Coach Oliver Glasner's team mastered their second-round task on Tuesday in the 1987 cup finalists with an unchallenged 2-0 (2-0) victory and kept their chances of the sixth cup triumph in the club's history to date.
The Kickers and the 10,000 spectators in the Gazi Stadium on the Waldau, which was sold out for the first time in 16 years, could only hope for ten minutes for the sensation of being the first fifth division club in the long history of the cup to reach the round of 16.
Scorer Randal Kolo Muani (11th minute) gave the favorites the lead with a sensitive lob, defender Hrvoje Smolcic (17th) followed suit.
Rafael Santos Borré also hit the post (25th).
The start of the second half was delayed by a few minutes because pyrotechnics were ignited from both fan blocks.
"We said for fun when the lottery ticket was out that we could now win the European Cup," said Nico Blank from Stuttgart before kick-off on Sky.
But it was precisely this disgrace that Eintracht coach Glasner wanted to prevent with all his might: "We have to show from the first second that we are the Bundesliga club and want to spend the winter in the cup."
But it took about ten minutes before Frankfurt got used to the circumstances and the bumpy pitch - and took the lead with the first chance: After a fine one-two with Borré, Kolo Muani put the ball sensitively over Kickers goalkeeper Ramon Castellucci into the goal .
Borré was one of three newcomers in the starting XI - just like Smolcic, who justified his effort with a header to make it 2-0.
After the 2-0 lead, the Frankfurters played their class and experience without really having to go to the limit.
Stuttgart, who beat second division club SpVgg Greuther Fürth 2-0 in the opening round, shifted up a gear after the break - but there weren't any great chances of scoring a goal.
The more than 600,000 euros for the second round entry should comfort the indebted traditional club a little about the end.
Kevin Trapp experienced a relatively quiet evening.
The international had traveled to Stuttgart straight from the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony in Paris, where he was one of ten goalkeepers nominated for the Yashin Trophy.