Berlin, Aug 22 — Dzenan Pejcinovic scored a hat-trick on his competitive debut as VfB Stuttgart opened their German Cup campaign with a commanding 4-0 victory away to third-tier Hansa Rostock.
The visitors threatened through Maximilian Mittelstadt before Pejcinovic broke the deadlock in the 18th minute. Tiago Tomas intercepted a mistake in Rostock's buildup and found the summer signing, who held off the surrounding defenders before finishing into the bottom-right corner.
Rostock responded with opportunities for Andreas Voglsammer and Benno Dietze, but Stuttgart remained the more dangerous side. Julian Chabot was denied by goalkeeper Benjamin Unbehaun before Pejcinovic struck again in the 37th minute, converting Deniz Undav's pass into the top-right corner.
Stuttgart goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow then produced a sharp reaction save against Yannick Michaelis shortly before the interval, while Unbehaun kept out Tiago Tomas at the other end.
The pace dropped after the restart and play was interrupted for several minutes following pyrotechnics from the home supporters. Rostock's Aymen Dajaku later tested Bredlow after a solo run, but Stuttgart continued to control possession.
Tiago Tomas effectively settled the contest in the 74th minute, collecting Undav's through ball and firing in off the underside of the crossbar from a tight angle.
Pejcinovic completed his hat-trick eight minutes later, positioning himself centrally to convert Josha Vagnoman's pass and round off an impressive first competitive appearance for Stuttgart.
The victory sent the 2025 German Cup winners and 2026 finalists safely into the second round. Stuttgart will next travel to defending champions Bayern Munich for their Bundesliga opener.
"It was intense, but we were prepared for that," new Stuttgart signing Grischa Promel said.
Elsewhere in the first round, Eintracht Frankfurt recorded the biggest German Cup victory in club history with an 11-0 rout of SC St. Tonis. Karlsruhe came from behind to beat Preussen Munster 2-1.
Kaiserslautern needed extra time to edge Waldhof Mannheim 1-0 after a 35-minute interruption following disturbances. Substitute Ibrahim Kanate settled the southwest derby in the 120th minute with a curling effort from 20 meters.