An effective performance leads to a resounding victory: MSV Duisburg celebrated a clear 4-0 win at VfB Stuttgart II. Coach Dietmar Hirsch praised his team’s maturity, compactness, and strong new signings.
MSV Duisburg made a statement right at the start of the year. With a 4-0 (0-0) away win at VfB Stuttgart II, the Zebras recorded their highest away win of the season – they had already won 4-0 at Jahn Regensburg in August.
Dietmar Hirsch was understandably pleased, emphasizing his team’s maturity and efficiency. “I’m delighted with the result and the three points,” said the coach after the game.
“We played well in the first half and didn’t allow them many chances. The opposition had maybe three shots on goal – all from outside the box. Stuttgart is a strong team, but they hardly ever threatened our penalty area.”
Although MSV had a few chances in the first half, they weren’t consistent enough. That changed significantly after the break. “The second half was very mature. We continued to play compactly, switched well and were then extremely effective,” praised Hirsch. New signings immediately make an impact The coach particularly highlighted the two new signings. Lex Tyger Lobinger scored one goal and provided one assist, while Aljaz Casar impressed with his powerful play in midfield. “Both of them have been a direct benefit to us. Tyger scored a great goal and delivered a powerful performance, while Aljaz is just as present in the center. These are players who make us even better – you could see that. The decisive factor was the collective – our cohesion, our transition play. That was really awesome.“
The 54-year-old took Lobinger, who was already on a yellow card, and Rasim Bulic, who was in danger of receiving a yellow-red card, off the pitch early on as a precaution. ”I only found out during the week that Tyger already had four yellow cards. We didn’t want to take any risks,“ explained the coach. Tugbenyo impresses in the number ten position – training camp shows results Jesse Tugbenyo received special praise for his impressive performance in the unfamiliar number ten position. ”We wanted to use our physicality and play simple football with lots of long balls – as a tactical measure against an opponent who presses high up the pitch,” explained Hirsch.
Tugbenyo took the quality of the opponent’s pressing early on, won many first balls, worked hard defensively, and made an impact offensively. “He defended well and then scored a goal.”
It’s no coincidence that MSV is currently performing so efficiently. At the training camp in Belek, the Zebras worked specifically on their effectiveness. “We had more big chances again – and we took them. Our effectiveness was as extreme as it was at the start of the season.” A statement victory – and MSV delivering its strongest performance right on time for the start of the year.