News (engl.)

The final two places in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals have been filled. After holders VfB Stuttgart and SC Freiburg had already advanced earlier in the evening, record cup winners Bayern München and Holstein Kiel completed the line-up. Bayern edged past Union Berlin 3-2, while Kiel prevailed 4-2 on penalties away to Hamburger SV after a goalless 90 minutes and a 1-1 draw in extra time.

Bayern withstand late pressure in Berlin

The game began quietly, but Bayern struck with the first real moment inside the box. Joshua Kimmich’s inswinging corner clipped the far post, rebounded off the thigh of Ilyas Ansah and bounced over the line (12’). From there, Bayern took control and soon doubled their lead: Harry Kane rose to meet another corner, his header crashing in off the underside of the bar from close range (24’). Union responded with their first chance seconds later, when Aljoscha Kemlein fired just over from the edge of the area (25’).

Union grew into the game and began enjoying longer spells of possession. Their reward came via a penalty given after VAR spotted a handball by Jonathan Tah. Leopold Querfeld stepped up, sent Manuel Neuer the wrong way and finished low into the left corner (40’). But the hosts then suffered a second blow in first-half stoppage time, as Diogo Leite inadvertently looped Michael Olise’s free-kick over Frederik Rønnow and into his own net (45+4’).

After the restart, referee Martin Petersen pointed to the spot again – this time for Union, after Kane caught Leite in an aerial duel with his elbow. Querfeld converted once more into the bottom-left corner to complete his brace (56’). Rønnow then denied Kane superbly, tipping his bouncing effort just wide of the post (62’).

Union chased the equaliser relentlessly. Long-range attempts from Leite and Ansah flashed narrowly wide (71’, 73’), before Neuer got down well to push away Ansah’s low strike (77’). Querfeld then went close to a hat-trick, glancing a header inches past the target from a wide delivery (85’). Despite their late pressure, Union could not find the leveller, leaving Bayern to edge through to the quarter-finals.

Kiel prevail on penalties after dramatic finish in Hamburg

Holstein Kiel created the first opening at the Volksparkstadion when Adrian Kapralik shot wide in the 16th minute. The forward was at the heart of Kiel’s next chance too, threading a pass through for Phil Harres, whose effort was saved by Daniel Peretz (26’). HSV offered little before the break, and the best chance of the half fell again to Kapralik, who headed over from close range (43’).

Kiel came out of the break with more purpose. Kapralik curled narrowly wide from around 20 yards (50’), before HSV finally threatened at the other end: Røssing-Lelesiit fed Ransford Königsdörffer, whose cut-back was struck over the bar by Rayan Philippe (54’). Fabio Vieira’s sharp effort from a tight angle forced a stop from Timon Weiner (74’), and Philippe’s follow-up was blocked. At the other end, David Zec lifted a presentable chance over the bar after Peretz had misjudged a corner (78’).

The game opened up in the closing stages. Peretz produced a fine save to stop Niklas Niehoff (82’), and Jean-Luc Dompé fired narrowly wide moments later (85’). With both sides missing further opportunities, extra time beckoned. The additional 30 minutes proved calmer, with Vieira denied by the onrushing Weiner in the only big moment of the first half of extra time (105’). HSV then broke the deadlock in the 107th minute when substitute Bakery Jatta met Miro Muheim’s low cross at the far post and finished from close range.

Kiel struck back with their first serious chance of extra time. Harres curled a free-kick from around 20 yards over the wall and into the net to equalise (118’). The tie went to penalties, where Kiel held their nerve. The 2. Bundesliga side scored four of their five attempts, while HSV missed twice – Muheim struck the bar, and Aboubaka Soumahoro was denied by Weiner. Holstein Kiel advanced as one of two second-tier teams in the quarter-finals, joining Hertha BSC.