YANNICK Sagbo marked his first Hull City appearance with a stylish goal as the Tigers earned an encouraging 1-0 win at Dynamo Dresden this afternoon.
A week after signing from Evian in a deal worth £1.6m, Sagbo needed just 14 minutes to stake his claim for a Premier League debut at Chelsea on August 18 with a well-taken finish.
It proved to be the only difference between the two sides but this was a markedly improved performance from Steve Bruce's men.
A gulf in class was evident through much of the friendly encounter at the Glucksgas Stadion and only the three different goalkeepers used by Dresden prevented it from being a more comfortable victory.
For the first of City's two-game German tour, Bruce opted for a starting XI that will surely not be dissimilar to the one that faces Chelsea in a fortnight.
In a 4-3-3 shape, with Robbie Brady and Sone Aluko offering the threats from wide, there was a first appearance for Sagbo as the focal point of the Tigers' attack.
Although temperatures were topping 36 degrees at the Glucksgas Stadion, City's shape was fluid and their ball retention smart throughout an impressive first half.
Dynamo Dresden rarely got to grips with their guests and City were soon in front after 14 minutes.
Finding a pocket of space midway inside the Dresden half, Aluko hurt the home team with a delicious throughball to find the run of Sagbo. The pass was special but the finish from the cool left foot of Sagbo soon did it justice.
City could have grabbed a second five minutes later when Koren's shot from the edge of the box was saved and came closer still midway through the half.
Clever play down the left flank pulled Dresden apart but when a cross from Maynor Figueroa was laid off to Robert Koren by Aluko, goalkeeper Benjamin Kirsten pushed wide for a corner.
A four-man defence that included Ahmed Elmohamady, James Chester, Curtis Davies and Figueroa, meanwhile, were comfortable. Not even the raucous support offered by the steep Dresden terracing could inspire the home side to break free of their shackles.
Half-time brought four changes for the Tigers but, perhaps pertinently, continuity with a 4-3-3 formation. Danny Graham took on the central attacking role, with Sagbo switched wide to the right.
City remained a cut above their Bundesliga 2 opponents but, with eight substitutes used by the hour mark, Bruce's men struggled to maintain their fluency. Eric Tie Bi, on trial from Evian, was the most notable player introduced when slotting into David Meyler's holding midfield role for the final 28 minutes.
Despite Graham warming the palms of Markus Scholz with a fierce angled shot soon after, the closing stages wilted beneath the Saxony sun. Nick Proschwitz, back on home soil, did his best to find City a second but an acrobatic save from Scholz kept out his commendable effort from the edge of the box.
The lively Proschwitz met resistance from the same nemesis soon after, this time from the left edge of the area, before Dresden finally rallied inside the closing stages.
Marco Hartmann's header from a left-wing corner was brilliantly saved by the fingertips of Allan McGregor to preserve City's advantage and eventually grant a second consecutive pre-season win for Bruce's men.Hull City:
Allan McGregor, Ahmed Elmohamady (Liam Rosenior 46) James Chester (Aaron Mclean 82), Curtis Davies, Maynor Figueroa (Joe Dudgeon 46), David Meyler (Eric Tie Bi 62), Robert Koren (Paul McShane 62), Stephen Quinn (George Boyd 46), Robbie Brady (Matty Fryatt 62), Sone Aluko (Danny Graham 46), Yannic Sagbo (Nick Proschwitz 62)Subs not used: Eldin Jakupovic, Alex BruceDynamo Dresden:
Benjamin Kirsten, Cheikh Gueye, Romain Bregerie, Idir Ouali, Filip Trojan, Mickael Pote, Anthony Losilla, Tobias Kempe, Thorsten Schulz, Christoph Menz, Cristian FielSubs: Markus Scholz, Nico Pellatz, Marco Hartmann, Soufian Benyamina, Alban Sabah, Adam Susac, Robert Koch, Sebastiean Schuppan, Paul, Milde, Marvin Stefaniak, Toni Leistner, Tobias Muller
