The first games of the second round in the DFB Cup remain without a sensation. 1. FC Nürnberg struggles with a third division team, while Eintracht Frankfurt confidently defeats a fifth division team with Stuttgarter Kickers. Mainz wins in Lübeck, while Leipzig defeats a committed HSV.
Rasenballsport Leipzig – Hamburger SV 4:0 (2:0)
RB Leipzig has solved its tricky second-round task in the DFB-Pokal confidently. The team coached by Marco Rose won 4-0 (2-0) against second-division third-placed Hamburger SV after initial difficulties. After the fifth round of sixteen in a row, the Saxons can continue to dream of successfully defending their title. Yussuf Poulsen (33rd/36th), Mohamed Simakan (69th) and Benjamin Henrichs (82nd) ??scored the goals of the Champions League participant in front of the future sports director Max Eberl. Despite the clear result, a class difference was not recognizable for a long time.
After the 3-2 win against Hertha BSC in the Bundesliga on Sunday, Rose only made three changes. But the Leipzig team didn’t seem well-rehearsed at first. Especially in the build-up game, RB made simple mistakes at the beginning, the guests played bravely and at times even gained a small overweight. The first big chance also belonged to the Hanseatic League: Miro Muheim hammered the ball into the right crossbar from 23 meters (20′).
The cup winner was slow to get going in front of 44,787 spectators. Henrichs shot from distance after half an hour, but HSV goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes didn’t cause any problems with the imprecise attempt, it was the home side’s first goal. The Leipzig audience was getting impatient. In the midst of the first whistles, Poulsen saved the Rose team, the Dane scoring from close range after a cross from right-back Simakan who had moved up. Only three minutes later, the attacker followed up. Hamburg’s left defense was empty again, Silva penetrated and served Poulsen, who pushed in from the same position.
After the restart, there was an open exchange of blows, also because the second division increased the risk early on. RB keeper Janis Blaswich saved from Anssi Tapio Suhonen, who was ready to score (58th). Coach Tim Walter’s team fought against the end, and Leipzig now had a lot of space. But the decision was made after a set piece: Simakan headed in after a Forsberg corner.
Stuttgarter Kickers – Eintracht Frankfurt 0: 2 (0: 2)
Noble fan Jürgen Klinsmann kept his fingers crossed, but Eintracht Frankfurt was just a little too big for “his” Stuttgarter Kickers. The Europa League winner, who was only convincing at times, has lacklusterly lived up to his role as a favorite with the fifth division and remains represented in all three competitions after a poor 2-0 (2-0). Randal Kolo Muani (11th) and Hrvoje Smolcic (18th) scored in the Degerloch district of Stuttgart for the conservative Champions League participant. Despite their great fighting spirit and tireless commitment, the valiant Kickers missed the tiny chance of becoming the first fifth division team in the 80-year history of the cup to reach the round of 16.
It took the visitors ten minutes to adjust to the soapy pitch and physical play before Kolo Muani struck with the first shot on goal. Oliver Glasner did the only right thing: the Eintracht coach took the former Bundesliga team seriously and brought only three new players in front of 10,000 spectators in the sold-out, oldest football stadium in Germany. Smolcic was one of them and headed in from a corner by Mario Götze – 0:2.
A little later, Frankfurt’s Rafael Borre failed to hit the post (25′). This imprecise conclusion was not the only lack of concentration on the guest offensive, which came to surprisingly few conclusions against the snappy blues. Glasner once or twice vented his dissatisfaction. But even with the fresh attackers Lucas Alario and Faride Alidou (both 61st), Frankfurt did not become more creative. After all, goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, who had traveled directly from Paris from the Ballon d’Or gala, rarely had to intervene. The start of the second half was delayed by a few minutes due to the massive use of pyrotechnics by both fan camps.
Waldhof Mannheim – 1. FC Nürnberg 0:1 (0:0)
After a three-year absence, 1. FC Nürnberg is back in the round of 16. The second division took the uncomfortable hurdle away from Waldhof Mannheim 1-0 (0-0), the decisive goal at the home strong third division was an own goal by Gerrit Gohlke (63rd). In fact, this duel was a cup final a long time ago: In 1939, FCN won 2-0 in front of 60,000 spectators in the Berlin Olympic Stadium. This time it was up to Mannheim to keep the game open as a lower-class club, the Waldhof also kept up well with an excellent atmosphere. The four-time cup winner Nuremberg was superior, but not sufficiently dangerous.
After a short break because Nuremberg fans burned off pyrotechnics, the guests dominated more clearly. Gohlke then failed a rescue attempt to make it 0:1, seconds later Laurent Jans missed the huge chance to equalize from five meters out: he shot over the goal.
VfB Lubeck – FSV Mainz 05 0:3 (0:2)
Without problems, but also without shine: FSV Mainz 05 has walked into the round of 16. Coach Bo Svensson’s team won the second round game at regional league club VfB Lübeck 3-0 (2-0) and confidently lived up to their position as favourites. Alexander Hack (16th), Marcus Ingvartsen (43rd) and Aymen Barkok (88th) scored for the Bundesliga club, which this time gave Lübeck no chance of a cup coup. 13 years ago, Mainz made a fool of themselves at the Lohmühle, Svensson watched the embarrassing end from the 05’s bench.
The biggest excitement was the interim interruption of the game after the visiting fans in particular had burned off pyrotechnics and fired rockets. Referee Robin Braun kicked off the second half with a delay after Lübeck’s captain Tommy Grupe and coach Pfeiffer had persuaded the supporters. In terms of sport, Hack took the first chance to take the lead after a corner kick, and Ingvartsen cleverly made things clear before the break after a counterattack.
Svensson’s team, who made three personnel changes compared to the 2-0 win at Werder Bremen and gave substitute keeper Finn Dahmen a chance, controlled the game without having to exhaust himself too much. In this way, the eleventh in the table saved energy for the upcoming tasks in the Bundesliga against 1. FC Köln and at Bayern Munich.
Lübeck had more and more problems with the guests’ pace as the game went on – but the fans at the Lohmühle didn’t care. They celebrated the sovereign leader of the Regionalliga Nord, sang and applauded every reasonably successful action – such as the powerful free kick from 25 meters by Felix Drinkuth (10th) or the header by Jannik Löhden (54th). But it wasn’t nearly enough for a cup miracle.
