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Konstantinos Mavropanos gave VfB Stuttgart the lead in the first minute of the game
Photo: Tom Weller / dpa
VfB Stuttgart have come a big step closer to staying in the league. The Bundesliga club beat Hamburger SV 3-0 (1-0) at home in the first leg of the relegation play-offs. Konstantinos Mavropanos scored the early lead (1st minute), former HSV player Josha Vagnoman (51st) and Serhou Guirassy (54th) added to their tally in the second half. Hamburg's Anssi Suhonen was shown the red card for a gross foul (69th).
In the fifth attempt to return to the Bundesliga after relegation in 2018, the Hamburg team will have to play the second leg on Monday (20:45 CET, TV: Sat1/Sky) at the Volksparkstadion to make up for the big deficit.
Stuttgart got off to a great start: top assist provider Borna Sosa brought a corner high into the penalty area, the advancing Mavropanos gave VfB the lead with a header after just 45 seconds.
In the last ten years, only one first division club had been relegated after relegation – that was VfB Stuttgart (against Union Berlin) in 2019. This time, however, the Swabians seemed to live up to their role as favorites and remained the more active team. Chris Führich failed from an acute angle to goalkeeper Daniel Heuer-Fernandes (9th), even against Guirassy (23rd), who was running completely free towards the Hamburg goal, the HSV keeper remained the winner.
Guirassy misses the second chance, seizes the third
Minutes later, the Bundesliga club got the next chance to score a second goal. Ludovit Reis fouled Stuttgart's Enzo Millot on the penalty line. Referee Tobias Welz decided on a penalty, the decision withstood scrutiny by the video assistant. Guirassy stepped up, but failed to do so due to another strong Heuer Fernandes (27th), who had dived into the right corner. Führich's next attempt was also saved by Hamburg's goalkeeper (29th).
In the final quarter of an hour of the first half, HSV became a little more active. The visitors' best opportunity came from a lapse by VfB keeper Florian Müller, who stood in for the injured Fabian Bredlow and was so clumsy in his own penalty area that the ball fell at the feet of Robert Glatzel. However, defender Waldemar Anton was able to block the finish (35th).
After the change of sides, Stuttgart then extended the result in line with their performance: At the end of a move worth seeing, Millot crossed to the former Hamburg Vagnoman, who only had to push in (51st). Guirassy made the evening conciliatory by heading the next Sosa corner into the goal (54th).
A possible final offensive of the Hamburger SV destroyed at the latest the dismissal for Joker Anssi Suhonen, who went overzealously into a duel and hit Vagnoman with the studs on the thigh (69th).
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