Friday night's four DFB Pokal ties produced a total of 14 goals, with excitement, near-upsets and drama aplenty. After a night that lived up to DFB Pokal expectations, Dynamo Dresden, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Holstein Kiel and Bayer Leverkusen have all booked their place in the second round.
Dresden scrape through
The opening game of the 2017/18 DFB-Pokal saw Dynamo Dresden beat Regionalliga side TuS Koblenz in a thrilling five goal seesaw encounter in Zwickau, with Dresden triumphing 3-2.
Koblenz the underdogs took an early lead when midfielder Popovits knocked the ball down and striker Dejan Bozic ran onto the loose ball and finished with aplomb. Dynamo hit back very quickly though as Erich Berko nipped in at the far post for a tap-in making it 1-1. Numerous chances came and went for both teams before half-time and the 2. Bundesliga side made a great start to the second half, taking the lead on 49 minutes through a stunning Philip Heise free kick, leaving the goalkeeper stranded.
Dynamo dominated for long periods after the goal; however Koblenz did not give in and got their reward with ten minutes of normal time left to play. Popovits caught the opposition off-guard with a near-post finish after a run from midfield. More was yet to come, however. Four minutes later Aosman renewed Dynamo’s lead but Koblenz went straight down the other end and won a penalty after a clumsy challenge. However, Andreas Glockner could not convert the penalty kick with U19 German national goalkeeper Markus Schubert pulling off a magnificent save to prevent the equaliser. Koblenz continued to push but Dresden held firm to confirm their passage into the next round of the cup.
Borussia Mönchengladbach break Rot-Weiss-Essen's hearts
Rot-Weiss Essen sprung the first surprise of the DFB-Pokal. The fourth division side lost to Bundesliga team Borussia Mönchengladbach but were leading 1-0 for a large chunk of the game. A quick flurry of goals for Gladbach by Jonas Hofmann and Raffael in the 79th and 82th minute respectively ensured Gladbach’s place in the second round.
In front of a crowd of 18,500, Rot- Weiss Essen made life for the favourites difficult from the off. Benjamin Baier headed the underdogs in front from a cross on the counter in the 29th minute. RWE defended heroically but Gladbach were patient and eventually found the breakthrough. Substitute Hofmann scored the equaliser and, soon after, Raffael scored to win the tie for Gladbach.
Holstein Kiel edge their way into the next round
Meanwhile Holstein Kiel took the win in the all-2. Bundesliga tie against Eintracht Braunschweig. After an uneventful goalless first half, Christoffer Nyman opened the scoring for Eintracht following a swift counter attack. The referee had waved away a Kiel penalty claim at the other end seconds before and the away side pounced on the opportunity to go 1-0 up in the 48th minute.
The key turning point in the game came 20 minutes later as Braunschweig defender Joseph Baffo conceded a penalty after a clumsy challenge and was given his marching orders. Dominick Drexler sent the keeper the wrong way from the penalty spot and with just over a quarter of an hour left to play, the scores were level.
Friday night's four DFB Pokal ties produced a total of 14 goals, with excitement, near-upsets and drama aplenty. After a night that lived up to DFB Pokal expectations, Dynamo Dresden, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Holstein Kiel and Bayer Leverkusen have all booked their place in the second round.
Dresden scrape through
The opening game of the 2017/18 DFB-Pokal saw Dynamo Dresden beat Regionalliga side TuS Koblenz in a thrilling five goal seesaw encounter in Zwickau, with Dresden triumphing 3-2.
Koblenz the underdogs took an early lead when midfielder Popovits knocked the ball down and striker Dejan Bozic ran onto the loose ball and finished with aplomb. Dynamo hit back very quickly though as Erich Berko nipped in at the far post for a tap-in making it 1-1. Numerous chances came and went for both teams before half-time and the 2. Bundesliga side made a great start to the second half, taking the lead on 49 minutes through a stunning Philip Heise free kick, leaving the goalkeeper stranded.
Dynamo dominated for long periods after the goal; however Koblenz did not give in and got their reward with ten minutes of normal time left to play. Popovits caught the opposition off-guard with a near-post finish after a run from midfield. More was yet to come, however. Four minutes later Aosman renewed Dynamo’s lead but Koblenz went straight down the other end and won a penalty after a clumsy challenge. However, Andreas Glockner could not convert the penalty kick with U19 German national goalkeeper Markus Schubert pulling off a magnificent save to prevent the equaliser. Koblenz continued to push but Dresden held firm to confirm their passage into the next round of the cup.
Borussia Mönchengladbach break Rot-Weiss-Essen's hearts
Rot-Weiss Essen sprung the first surprise of the DFB-Pokal. The fourth division side lost to Bundesliga team Borussia Mönchengladbach but were leading 1-0 for a large chunk of the game. A quick flurry of goals for Gladbach by Jonas Hofmann and Raffael in the 79th and 82th minute respectively ensured Gladbach’s place in the second round.
In front of a crowd of 18,500, Rot- Weiss Essen made life for the favourites difficult from the off. Benjamin Baier headed the underdogs in front from a cross on the counter in the 29th minute. RWE defended heroically but Gladbach were patient and eventually found the breakthrough. Substitute Hofmann scored the equaliser and, soon after, Raffael scored to win the tie for Gladbach.
Holstein Kiel edge their way into the next round
Meanwhile Holstein Kiel took the win in the all-2. Bundesliga tie against Eintracht Braunschweig. After an uneventful goalless first half, Christoffer Nyman opened the scoring for Eintracht following a swift counter attack. The referee had waved away a Kiel penalty claim at the other end seconds before and the away side pounced on the opportunity to go 1-0 up in the 48th minute.
The key turning point in the game came 20 minutes later as Braunschweig defender Joseph Baffo conceded a penalty after a clumsy challenge and was given his marching orders. Dominick Drexler sent the keeper the wrong way from the penalty spot and with just over a quarter of an hour left to play, the scores were level.
Kiel had no intention of playing for extra-time, however, and seven minutes later after a flowing counterattacking move, Marvin Ducksch put Holstein ahead. Despite a valiant search for an equaliser from Eintracht, Kiel’s defence was strong and they held on to win 2-1 which puts them into the hat for the second round draw.
Bayer Leverkusen through after extra time
Bayer Leverkusen progressed through to the next round with a 3-0 win over a tiring 2. Bundesliga Karlsruhe side after extra time. The Karlsruhe fans should be very proud of their team as the second division outfit put on a spirited display, holding out the Bundesliga team for 90 minutes. The defence in particular showed a great account of themselves, with the game goalless going into extra-time. However the superior fitness levels of the team who finished a disappointing 12th in the Bundesliga last season shone through as the game wore on.
Dominik Kohr opened the scoring in the 3rd minute of extra time, leaping above the Karlsruhe defenders to head home before Joel Pohjanpalo doubled Leverkusen’s lead six minutes later with a smart finish. Leon Bailey then opened his account for the Werkself just before the end of the first half of extra time. That goal put the game beyond the home side and the Bundesliga side cruised home to book their place in the next round.
