1. FSV Mainz 05 suffered their next sporting blow in the DFB Cup and failed miserably in the second round against Hertha BSC. The bottom of the Bundesliga lost 0:3 (0:1) to the capital city team, who play one league lower, on Wednesday and has now been without a win for ten games. Mainz were last able to win in the first round of the cup in mid-August.
Fabian Reese (45th + 3) put the capital city team in the lead with a converted penalty kick in front of 29,621 spectators. Haris Tabakovic (50th/61st) increased the score after the break – among other things, by also scoring from the spot after a Mainz handball. For cash-strapped Hertha, the victory is also worth it from a financial perspective. The clubs receive 862,400 euros for reaching the round of 16.
There was no noticeable class difference in the Olympic Stadium right from the start. Hertha played courageously forward and developed a goal threat, especially through its nimble winger Reese. Marten Winkler (16th) and second division top scorer Tabakovic (42nd) initially failed because of Mainz keeper Robin Zentner.
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The guests rarely found a way through the Berlin defense. The Zero Fives were unlucky when Leandro Barreiro (29th) hit the ball on the crossbar. When both teams were almost in the dressing room, Maxim Leitsch fouled Hertha striker Florian Niederlechner in the penalty area – and Reese crowned his strong performance.
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The game had barely started again when referee Matthias Jöllenbeck pointed to the spot again. This time the ball hit Mainz striker Brajan Gruda’s arm. Tabakovic confidently converted with a shot into the middle.
Mainz was now finally broken. With almost no resistance, the Berliners were able to sprint down the wings towards the opponent’s goal and cross unchallenged. Tabakovic rose again at the second post after a cross from Jonjoe Kenny and made it 3-0. The substitution of Hertha’s ex-captain Marco Richter for Mainz, who was whistled mercilessly, came to nothing.
Viktoria Cologne – Eintracht Frankfurt 0:2 (0:1)
Ellyes Skhiri paved the way for last year’s finalist Eintracht Frankfurt to reach the round of 16 of the DFB Cup in his old hometown. The midfielder, who had played for 1. FC Köln for four years until the summer, scored the only goal for a long time (14th) in Frankfurt’s tough 2-0 (1-0) win on the other side of the Rhine against third division Viktoria Köln. Ansgar Knauff only added in the 90th minute.
Reaching the round of 16 is a good omen for the Hessians: they have only survived the second round four times in the last nine years, but have since reached at least the semi-finals every time. With now five competitive games in a row without defeat, the trend continues to point upwards under new coach Dino Toppmöller. Although the performance in the deserved but by no means brilliant victory on Wednesday was rather disappointing. Viktoria, who eliminated first division club Werder Bremen in the first round, have never made it past the second round in eight previous DFB Cup appearances.
The third division team quickly decided not to move to a larger stadium in order to increase their small chance. Viktoria was still unbeaten this season in the Höhenberg sports park, which has a capacity of 8,343 spectators. In the end it was more of a home game for the Frankfurt team, around 5,000 fans accompanied the SGE. It was a special game for Viktoria coach Olaf Janßen, because he was Frankfurt’s defense chief in the legendary relegation final in 1999, when Eintracht saved themselves by beating Kaiserslautern 5-1.
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But his team started nervously. Eintracht took advantage of this in the early stages to win the ball a lot early on, but subsequently played them without concentration. The early goal came, albeit from a corner. Robin Koch extended with a header and Skhiri pushed the ball over the line at the far post. Frankfurt actually had full control of the game, but after half an hour the lead suddenly wobbled. Goalkeeper Jens Grahl had to parry against Luca Marseiler after a counterattack and also had to parry a header from Moritz Fritz after the following corner (32′).
Even after the change, the Bundesliga club acted too sedately and hardly had any chances. The sixth-place team in the 3rd league now made the game even more open. Toppmöller expressed his displeasure by making a triple substitution after just over an hour. The technical highlight of the second half was even provided by the outsider: Valdrin Mustafa hit the ball with an overhead kick into the penalty area, where André Becker put it over the goal with an overhead kick (82′). When Viktoria threw everything forward in the end, Eintracht launched the decisive counterattack.
1. FC Nürnberg – Hansa Rostock 3:2 nV (2:2, 0:0)
Joker Felix Lohkemper shot 1. FC Nürnberg into the round of 16 in a detention against FC Hansa Rostock. In the emotional duel between two second division soccer teams, the team of former “Club” coach Alois Schwartz stunned with two dry goals in the 2:3 (2:2, 0:0) after extra time. The Nuremberg team showed strong taker qualities on Wednesday evening and celebrated their double goalscorer Lohkemper after a really tough game.
Rostock’s first lead by Junior Brumado in the 58th minute was countered by Kanji Okunuki (63rd). After Christian Kinsombi’s (74th) supposed winning goal in front of 28,489 spectators, Lohkemper (90th + 5) saved the Nuremberg team into extra time at the very last minute. With an arc lamp in the 99th minute, the striker even shot his club into the next round. Youngster Can Uzun (120.+1) failed with a penalty kick.
One against all: Felix Lohkemper (2nd from left) dribbles his way through Rostock’s Damian Roßbach, Alexander Rossipal and Christian Kinsombi (from left)
Source: dpa/Daniel Löb
The people of Rostock only set off fireworks in the guest block. Hansa will be punished for the use of pyrotechnics in the stands. Clouds of smoke continued to drift across the pitch at the Max Morlock Stadium minutes after kick-off. Although Nuremberg had more possession of the ball, they were unable to create a compelling scoring opportunity in the first 45 minutes.
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Jessica von Bredow-Werndl
The counterattacking Rostock team, on the other hand, got off to a top start in the second half. Svante Ingelsson was able to cross unchallenged on the right to Junior Brumado, who shook off central defender Ivan Marquez and triggered the next pyrotechnic show in the Hansa block.
Coach Cristian Fiel’s team, which had only failed in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup against VfB Stuttgart in the previous season, was now irritated. Just a minute after his miss, the Japanese Okunuki was free on the left and slammed a right-footed shot into Markus Kolke’s goal to equalize.
Hansa reacted coolly. John Patrick Strauß failed to hit the crossbar, but Kinsombi, who had been substituted just six minutes earlier, sank the rebound into the net. Lohkemper, who was only brought into the game in the 85th minute, finally redeemed the Franconians who continued to push with two right-footed shots. After a save by “Club” keeper Christian Mathenia, Uzun even failed from the spot.
Results DFB Cup, 2nd round
1. FC Nürnberg – Hansa Rostock 3:2 n.V. (2:2, 0:0)
1. FC Saarbrücken – Bayern Munich 2:1 (1:1)
Hertha BSC – FSV Mainz 05 3:0 (1:0)
Victoria Cologne – Eintracht Frankfurt 0:2 (0:1)
Borussia Dortmund – TSG Hoffenheim 1:0 (1:0)
Holstein Kiel – 1. FC Magdeburg 3:4 iE (0:2, 2:2, 3:3)
SC Freiburg – SC Paderborn 1:3 (0:2)
SV Sandhausen – Bayer Leverkusen 2:5 (0:1)
FC Homburg – SpVgg Greuther Fürth 2:1 (1:0)
FC St. Pauli – FC Schalke 04 2:1 nV (0:1,1:1)
VfB Stuttgart – 1. FC Union Berlin 1:0 (1:0)
VfL Wolfsburg – RB Leipzig 1:0 (1:0)
1. FC Kaiserslautern – 1. FC Cologne 3:2 (1:0)
Arminia Bielefeld – Hamburger SV 3:4 iE (1:0,1:1,1:1)
Bor. Mönchengladbach – 1. FC Heidenheim 3:1 (3:0)
SpVgg Unterhaching – Fortuna Düsseldorf 3:6 n.V. (1:0,3:3)
