Successful dress rehearsal

In front of 50,000 fans on Saturday afternoon, VfB quickly went on the attack and soon took an early lead. Silas struck first in the 11^th minute, before Ermedin Demirovic made it 2-0 three minutes later with his first goal for the club. Sebastian Hoeneß’s team continued to dominate as the first half went on, with Athletic Club failing to carve out any clear-cut openings before the break.

VfB started the second period in similar fashion, adding a third through Silas four minutes after the restart before Nick Woltemade completed the scoring 11 minutes from time.

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One of the loudest cheers of the afternoon was reserved for Deniz Undav, who entered the fray in the 84^th minute. The VfB players treated their supporters to a lap of honour at full time after rounding off their pre-season with a thumping win.

Reaction:

VfB head coach Sebastian Hoeneß: “It was important for the lads to soak up the atmosphere today, while also being focused and sharp from the kick-off. That’s exactly what they did – and against a very good side, too. This was the next important step for us.”

Ermedin Demirovic: “The fans were outstanding today. It was an important performance from us. We’re on the right track. I was aiming to score in front of our home fans, so [the goal] is a big weight off my shoulders. We’re fired up and ready for the start of the season.”

Goals:

11^th minute: A corner from the left-hand side finds the unmarked Jeff Chabot, whose free header deflects somewhat fortuitously past Athletic goalkeeper Alex Padilla via the back of Silas.

14^th minute: Justin Diehl sends a ball across the face of goal from the left flank, and Demirovic gets the final touch to double VfB’s lead.

49^th minute: Silas dispossesses Adama Boiro inside the Athletic half and sets off on a solo run before firing home to make it 3-0.

79^th minute: Chris Führich’s cross finds Wooyeong Jeong, whose header lands at the feet of Woltemade. The attacker slots home from close range to complete the scoring.