VfB Stuttgart turned a game they thought they had lost and became the first team to reach the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup with a 2-1 (0-1) win at second-division SC Paderborn. New signing Gil Bastiao Dias (86.) and Serhou Guirassy (90.5) made the Swabians’ luck perfect late on. “That was very important for us. We were the better team for 90 minutes and thank God we were rewarded,” said VfB goalkeeper Florian Müller.

Already in the 4th minute the Swabians fell behind due to a curious own goal. VfB defender Konstantinos Mavropanos played the ball back hard and without eye contact with his goalkeeper after a throw-in by Waldemar Anton directly in front of the Paderborn bench. However, since goalkeeper Müller had positioned himself as a pass station on the outside line, Mavropanos’ pass landed in the net from 48.1 meters away. Never before in the history of the DFB Cup had there been an own goal from a greater distance. Nothing like this had ever happened before in the history of the Bundesliga.

“Mistakes are part of it. I made one last week, he made it today. We said to each other at half-time: ‘We’ll turn the game around for him’,” Müller later reported from the dressing room.

“The goal was very, very lucky,” admitted Paderborn President Thomas Sagel during the half-time break. “Stuttgart isn’t doing badly at all.” In fact, VfB were clearly ahead in all relevant statistics. The shot on goal statistics, which showed an 8-0 lead for the Bundesliga club after 45 minutes, were particularly curious. Paderborn never shot on goal – and led 1-0.

In the second half, too, the favorite ran for the goal of Paderborn, who fired their only shot on goal in the 70th minute, but was only allowed to celebrate shortly before the final whistle. New signing Gil Bastiao Dias, who came on four minutes earlier, scored the well-deserved 1-1 (86th minute). The new signing, who had only arrived in Stuttgart the day before, scored with his first shot on goal.

Stuttgart seemed to have saved themselves again in extra time, but after four minutes of added time they even managed to win. Serhou Guirassy headed the Swabians’ 17th corner kick into the net at the last second (90.5). The quarterfinals will be held on April 4th and 5th. The final will take place on June 3rd in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

SC Paderborn – VfB Stuttgart 1:2 (1:0)

1. FC Union Berlin – VfL Wolfsburg

February 1st:

RB Leipzig – TSG Hoffenheim (6 p.m.)

1. FSV Mainz 05 – FC Bayern Munich (8.45 p.m.)

February 7:

SV Sandhausen – SC Freiburg (6 p.m.)

Eintracht Frankfurt – SV Darmstadt 98 (8.45 p.m.)

February 8:

1. FC Nuremberg – Fortuna Dusseldorf (6 p.m.)

VfL Bochum – Borussia Dortmund (8.45 p.m.)