Robert Lewandowski continued his rich vein of goal-scoring form for Bayern Munich, a cup expert was the mastermind behind Borussia Mönchengladbach’s win and Eintracht Frankfurt celebrated the return of Marco Russ. We take a look at the interesting facts from the quarterfinal round of the DFB Pokal – which isn’t quite over yet.
Bayern Munich 3 - 0 FC Schalke 04
SERIAL WINNERS: Bayern have reached the DFB Pokal semi-final stage for the 8th season in a row and, in doing so, have set a new record for the most consecutive semi-final appearances in the competition. The last time they didn’t qualify for the last 4 was in 2008/09 when they were knocked out 4-2 by Bayer Leverkusen. The 3-0 against Schalke was their 27th consecutive DFB Pokal match without defeat (excluding losses on penalties) - another competition record. The 5-2 final defeat to Borussia Dortmund in 2012 was their last DFB Pokal defeat inside 90 or 120 minutes. Bayern have scored in each of their last 45 competitive matches at the Allianz Arena. This has equalled the record set between 1986 and 1988.
EXPERIENCE: Since the founding of the Bundesliga, no Bayern DFB Pokal side has had an older average age than the one which defeated Schalke (30 years and 8 days). Bayern’s last starting eleven in a competitive match which was older than Wednesday’s won 3-1 against Duisburg in March 2006 (30 days and 224 days).
QUICK STARTER: Robert Lewandowski scored after just 2 minutes 18 seconds. Bayern have scored a goal in the first three minutes in three of their four cup games this season: Lewandowski after 2 minutes and 57 seconds in Jena and Philipp Lahm after 1 minute and 44 seconds versus Augsburg.
LEWANDOWSKI AT IT AGAIN: The Pole was involved in all three of Bayern’s goals with two goals and one assist. Lewandowski had previously been involved in three or more goals in a DFB Cup match on two occasions: in the first round 5-0 win in Jena (three goals and one assist) and in the 5-2 win for BVB in the 2012 final against Bayern (three goals). Only Claudio Pizarro (30 goals) has more DFB Pokal goals than Lewandowski (20), who is level with Wynton Rufer.
EASY EVENING FOR NEUER: World Cup winner Manuel Neuer didn’t have to save a single shot in the whole match. This was the first DFB Pokal match in which Schalke didn’t register a single shot since their 1-0 defeat in Mainz in March 2009.
NO YELLOWS BUT A RED FOR BADSTUBER: Holger Badstuber has now played 18 times in the DFB Pokal, but Wednesday was the first time for a team other than Bayern Munich. He was sent off in the game against Bayern, yet in his 17 DFB Pokal games for the Bavarians, he never even saw yellow.
BAD RECORD AGAINST BUNDESLIGA SIDES: Schalke have lost their last five DFB Pokal games against Bundesliga opposition. Never before have the Royal Blues endured such a barren run against Bundesliga sides in the cup. The Gelsenkirchen club last reached the semi-final stage six years ago.
BAD RECORD AGAINST BAYERN: The Royal Blues are without a win over Bayern since March 2011. In the 14 competitive games since then between the sides, Bayern have won 11, with three draws. Bayern beat Schalke for the 8th time in the cup. Schalke’s only DFB Pokal victories against Bayern came in 2001/02 and 2010/11.
Hamburger SV 1 – 2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
SEMI-FINAL AT LAST: Gladbach reached the semi-final stage of the DFB Cup for the first time in five years after the 2-1 win in Hamburg. In 2011/12, Borussia went out at the semi-final stage to Bayern on penalties. Gladbach have won all of their five DFB Pokal quarterfinals against Bundesliga opposition dating back to 1987. Their last defeat at this stage to a Bundesliga team came in 1982 (3-1 against Nürnberg.
SUDDENLY STRONG AWAY: Gladbach are celebrating six competitive away wins in a row for the first time since 1969/70. In the seventh cup meeting of two Bundesliga sides this season, the away team was victorious for the first time in Gladbach’s win. Bayern made it seven wins for the home side with their defeat of Schalke.
QUATERFINAL EXPERT HECKING: Dieter Hecking has won his last four DFB Pokal quarterfinals. Gladbach’s head coach last lost a DFB Cup quarter final when he was in charge of Nürnberg in 2010/11.
CUP DEFENSIVE RECORDS CRUMBLE: Both teams conceded their first goals in this season’s competition in this match. With Bobby Wood’s strike, Hamburg have now scored in 28 of their last 29 DFB Pokal games – the only anomaly being the 5-0 loss to Bayern in the 2013/14 quarterfinal.
STRONG FROM THE SPOT: Both of Gladbach’s goals were penalties. The last time Gladbach received two penalties in a match was again against Hamburg in the first-half of this season. Gladbach missed both of them. Lars Stindl scored for the third game running for Gladbach. Raffael scored his first cup goal for seven and a half years.
SEE YOU AGAIN SOON: Hamburg welcome Gladbach on 12th March in the Bundesliga for revenge.
Eintracht Frankfurt 1 - 0 Arminia Bielefeld
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR: Marco Russ played for the first time in 285 days when he came on in the 90th minute for Frankfurt. His last appearance came in the relegation play-off match on 19th May 2016 against Nürnberg (1-1) shortly after he had been diagnosed with cancer.
HRADECKY ON FORM AGAIN: Frankfurt haven’t lost any of their 22 competitive games under Niko Kovac in which they have scored. Lukas Hradecky has a lot to do with that. He has now made 20 saves in this season’s DFB Cup – the most in the competition. The Finland international made five saves in the win over Bielefeld.
FIRST EXIT AT QUARTERFINAL STAGE: After three successful quarterfinal appearances (all at home), Arminia lost a quarterfinal DFB Pokal tie for the first time. Eintracht Frankfurt have reached the last 4 of the DFB Pokal for the first time in 10 years. Their last appearance at this stage was in 2006/07 when they lost 4-0 to Nürnberg.
CAUGHT COLD: Danny Blum’s goal in the sixth minute was the earliest cup goal that Arminia have conceded since April 2005. Michael Ballack struck in the third minute of that match in what was a 2-0 win for Bayern Munich.
created by mmc/mr
Robert Lewandowski continued his rich vein of goal-scoring form for Bayern Munich, a cup expert was the mastermind behind Borussia Mönchengladbach’s win and Eintracht Frankfurt celebrated the return of Marco Russ. We take a look at the interesting facts from the quarterfinal round of the DFB Pokal – which isn’t quite over yet.
Bayern Munich 3 - 0 FC Schalke 04
SERIAL WINNERS: Bayern have reached the DFB Pokal semi-final stage for the 8th season in a row and, in doing so, have set a new record for the most consecutive semi-final appearances in the competition. The last time they didn’t qualify for the last 4 was in 2008/09 when they were knocked out 4-2 by Bayer Leverkusen. The 3-0 against Schalke was their 27th consecutive DFB Pokal match without defeat (excluding losses on penalties) - another competition record. The 5-2 final defeat to Borussia Dortmund in 2012 was their last DFB Pokal defeat inside 90 or 120 minutes. Bayern have scored in each of their last 45 competitive matches at the Allianz Arena. This has equalled the record set between 1986 and 1988.
EXPERIENCE: Since the founding of the Bundesliga, no Bayern DFB Pokal side has had an older average age than the one which defeated Schalke (30 years and 8 days). Bayern’s last starting eleven in a competitive match which was older than Wednesday’s won 3-1 against Duisburg in March 2006 (30 days and 224 days).
QUICK STARTER: Robert Lewandowski scored after just 2 minutes 18 seconds. Bayern have scored a goal in the first three minutes in three of their four cup games this season: Lewandowski after 2 minutes and 57 seconds in Jena and Philipp Lahm after 1 minute and 44 seconds versus Augsburg.
LEWANDOWSKI AT IT AGAIN: The Pole was involved in all three of Bayern’s goals with two goals and one assist. Lewandowski had previously been involved in three or more goals in a DFB Cup match on two occasions: in the first round 5-0 win in Jena (three goals and one assist) and in the 5-2 win for BVB in the 2012 final against Bayern (three goals). Only Claudio Pizarro (30 goals) has more DFB Pokal goals than Lewandowski (20), who is level with Wynton Rufer.
EASY EVENING FOR NEUER: World Cup winner Manuel Neuer didn’t have to save a single shot in the whole match. This was the first DFB Pokal match in which Schalke didn’t register a single shot since their 1-0 defeat in Mainz in March 2009.
NO YELLOWS BUT A RED FOR BADSTUBER: Holger Badstuber has now played 18 times in the DFB Pokal, but Wednesday was the first time for a team other than Bayern Munich. He was sent off in the game against Bayern, yet in his 17 DFB Pokal games for the Bavarians, he never even saw yellow.
BAD RECORD AGAINST BUNDESLIGA SIDES: Schalke have lost their last five DFB Pokal games against Bundesliga opposition. Never before have the Royal Blues endured such a barren run against Bundesliga sides in the cup. The Gelsenkirchen club last reached the semi-final stage six years ago.
BAD RECORD AGAINST BAYERN: The Royal Blues are without a win over Bayern since March 2011. In the 14 competitive games since then between the sides, Bayern have won 11, with three draws. Bayern beat Schalke for the 8th time in the cup. Schalke’s only DFB Pokal victories against Bayern came in 2001/02 and 2010/11.
Hamburger SV 1 – 2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
SEMI-FINAL AT LAST: Gladbach reached the semi-final stage of the DFB Cup for the first time in five years after the 2-1 win in Hamburg. In 2011/12, Borussia went out at the semi-final stage to Bayern on penalties. Gladbach have won all of their five DFB Pokal quarterfinals against Bundesliga opposition dating back to 1987. Their last defeat at this stage to a Bundesliga team came in 1982 (3-1 against Nürnberg.
SUDDENLY STRONG AWAY: Gladbach are celebrating six competitive away wins in a row for the first time since 1969/70. In the seventh cup meeting of two Bundesliga sides this season, the away team was victorious for the first time in Gladbach’s win. Bayern made it seven wins for the home side with their defeat of Schalke.
QUATERFINAL EXPERT HECKING: Dieter Hecking has won his last four DFB Pokal quarterfinals. Gladbach’s head coach last lost a DFB Cup quarter final when he was in charge of Nürnberg in 2010/11.
CUP DEFENSIVE RECORDS CRUMBLE: Both teams conceded their first goals in this season’s competition in this match. With Bobby Wood’s strike, Hamburg have now scored in 28 of their last 29 DFB Pokal games – the only anomaly being the 5-0 loss to Bayern in the 2013/14 quarterfinal.
STRONG FROM THE SPOT: Both of Gladbach’s goals were penalties. The last time Gladbach received two penalties in a match was again against Hamburg in the first-half of this season. Gladbach missed both of them. Lars Stindl scored for the third game running for Gladbach. Raffael scored his first cup goal for seven and a half years.
SEE YOU AGAIN SOON: Hamburg welcome Gladbach on 12th March in the Bundesliga for revenge.
Eintracht Frankfurt 1 - 0 Arminia Bielefeld
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR: Marco Russ played for the first time in 285 days when he came on in the 90th minute for Frankfurt. His last appearance came in the relegation play-off match on 19th May 2016 against Nürnberg (1-1) shortly after he had been diagnosed with cancer.
HRADECKY ON FORM AGAIN: Frankfurt haven’t lost any of their 22 competitive games under Niko Kovac in which they have scored. Lukas Hradecky has a lot to do with that. He has now made 20 saves in this season’s DFB Cup – the most in the competition. The Finland international made five saves in the win over Bielefeld.
FIRST EXIT AT QUARTERFINAL STAGE: After three successful quarterfinal appearances (all at home), Arminia lost a quarterfinal DFB Pokal tie for the first time. Eintracht Frankfurt have reached the last 4 of the DFB Pokal for the first time in 10 years. Their last appearance at this stage was in 2006/07 when they lost 4-0 to Nürnberg.
CAUGHT COLD: Danny Blum’s goal in the sixth minute was the earliest cup goal that Arminia have conceded since April 2005. Michael Ballack struck in the third minute of that match in what was a 2-0 win for Bayern Munich.
