Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 FC Union Berlin
FC Union Berlin came to Leverkusen with the right intensions and gave a good account of themselves in the opening stages: With Leverkusen knocking at the door, the visitors held out well. It took a stroke of genius from Julian Brandt to break the deadlock; the Germany international left three defenders for dead at the edge of the area before finishing clinically.
Leverkusen were caught napping at the start of the second half, and Dennis Daube finished off a nice bit of play from the capital city boys for the equaliser. The Bundesliga side regrouped and soon came up with the right response: Lucas Alario put the favourites back in front with his first DFB-Pokal goal. With just one minute of regulation time left to play, Wendell put the game to bed from the spot before Aranguiz rubbed salt in the wounds of Union Berlin with an inch-perfect free-kick in stoppage time.
Fortuna Düsseldorf 0-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
In a sold-out ESPRIT arena, Borussia Mönchengladbach attempted to take control of the derby with a possession game. The first big chance fell to the Bundesliga side as well, but Lars Stindl was stopped in his tracks by Robin Bormuth at the last second. As the first half went on, Fortuna Düsseldorf became more and more comfortable, then eventually more dangerous than the opposition, posing a particular threat on the counter.
The first and only goal of the game came in the second half, when Thorgan Hazard showed great resilience to get his shot away and was rewarded with a stroke of luck to see the ball deflect off the goalkeeper and in. Düsseldorf remained under pressure for most of the game, but were thrown a lifeline in the 73rd minute in the shape of a penalty, with which Niko Gießelmann could only strike the post.
Paderborn 2-0 Bochum
SC Paderborn celebrated a well-deserved victory over Bundesliga 2 side VfL Bochum on Tuesday night. The league 3 table toppers took the lead early through Sven Michel and managed to keep Bochum out for the rest of the game. The visitors missed a penalty in the closing stages, and soon after Massih Wassey doubled Paderborn’s lead, taking them to the Last 16 of the DFB-Pokal for the first time in 13 years.
Wehen Wiesbaden 1-3 Schalke 04
Schalke experienced no difficulties whatsoever in their game away to Wehen Wiesbaden. Despite being without in-form goalscorer Leon Goretzka, the Royal Blues put in a convincing performance. Franco Di Santo got his first goal of the season with a true centre-forward header into the ground to make it 1-0. Guido Burgstaller soon followed up with his third goal in as many games, making the half-time score 2-0 to the Bundesliga visitors.
The third-division side were unfortunate to go 3-0 down through an own goal just eight minutes after the restart, but they got their consolation with 15 minutes left to play: David Blacha with the goal for the hosts.
1.FC Magdeburg 0-5 Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund took longer than most expected to get going away to third-tier 1. FC Magdeburg. Maximilian Philipp struck the post in the third minute, but the reigning champions failed to pose a real threat for quite some time after. The turning point, strangely enough, was when Germany U21 international Mahmoud Dahoud had to be taken off injured and Gonzalo Castro came on in his place and scored with his very first touch 35 seconds later. Dortmund went in at half time with a narrow lead over the underdogs.
Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 FC Union Berlin
FC Union Berlin came to Leverkusen with the right intensions and gave a good account of themselves in the opening stages: With Leverkusen knocking at the door, the visitors held out well. It took a stroke of genius from Julian Brandt to break the deadlock; the Germany international left three defenders for dead at the edge of the area before finishing clinically.
Leverkusen were caught napping at the start of the second half, and Dennis Daube finished off a nice bit of play from the capital city boys for the equaliser. The Bundesliga side regrouped and soon came up with the right response: Lucas Alario put the favourites back in front with his first DFB-Pokal goal. With just one minute of regulation time left to play, Wendell put the game to bed from the spot before Aranguiz rubbed salt in the wounds of Union Berlin with an inch-perfect free-kick in stoppage time.
Fortuna Düsseldorf 0-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
In a sold-out ESPRIT arena, Borussia Mönchengladbach attempted to take control of the derby with a possession game. The first big chance fell to the Bundesliga side as well, but Lars Stindl was stopped in his tracks by Robin Bormuth at the last second. As the first half went on, Fortuna Düsseldorf became more and more comfortable, then eventually more dangerous than the opposition, posing a particular threat on the counter.
The first and only goal of the game came in the second half, when Thorgan Hazard showed great resilience to get his shot away and was rewarded with a stroke of luck to see the ball deflect off the goalkeeper and in. Düsseldorf remained under pressure for most of the game, but were thrown a lifeline in the 73rd minute in the shape of a penalty, with which Niko Gießelmann could only strike the post.
Paderborn 2-0 Bochum
SC Paderborn celebrated a well-deserved victory over Bundesliga 2 side VfL Bochum on Tuesday night. The league 3 table toppers took the lead early through Sven Michel and managed to keep Bochum out for the rest of the game. The visitors missed a penalty in the closing stages, and soon after Massih Wassey doubled Paderborn’s lead, taking them to the Last 16 of the DFB-Pokal for the first time in 13 years.
Wehen Wiesbaden 1-3 Schalke 04
Schalke experienced no difficulties whatsoever in their game away to Wehen Wiesbaden. Despite being without in-form goalscorer Leon Goretzka, the Royal Blues put in a convincing performance. Franco Di Santo got his first goal of the season with a true centre-forward header into the ground to make it 1-0. Guido Burgstaller soon followed up with his third goal in as many games, making the half-time score 2-0 to the Bundesliga visitors.
The third-division side were unfortunate to go 3-0 down through an own goal just eight minutes after the restart, but they got their consolation with 15 minutes left to play: David Blacha with the goal for the hosts.
1.FC Magdeburg 0-5 Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund took longer than most expected to get going away to third-tier 1. FC Magdeburg. Maximilian Philipp struck the post in the third minute, but the reigning champions failed to pose a real threat for quite some time after. The turning point, strangely enough, was when Germany U21 international Mahmoud Dahoud had to be taken off injured and Gonzalo Castro came on in his place and scored with his very first touch 35 seconds later. Dortmund went in at half time with a narrow lead over the underdogs.
The second half was a very different story, and the gulf in class soon became very apparent: Alexander Isak slotted the ball home two minutes into the half. With 15 minutes left to play, the floodgates opened: Yarmolenko converted from the spot, Marc Bartra got on the scoresheet, then Shinji Kagawa provided the icing on the cake with a lovely bit of footwork and a strong finish, making the final score 5-0. Amidst the flurry of goals, World Cup winner André Schürrle celebrated his long-awaited comeback from injury
FC Schweinfurt 0-4 Eintracht Frankfurt
The story of Eintracht Frankfurt’s visit to Schweinfurt was a similar one, albeit with a much faster start. In-form Sebastian Haller put the Bundesliga side ahead after 14 minutes. The underdog’s performance took Niko Kovac’s men by surprise, and 1.FC Schweinfurt can walk away from this game feeling immensely proud of themselves for a valiant effort. The hosts kept Frankfurt at bay for the remainder of the half, but 10 minutes into the second a lapse of concentration allowed Haller to win the ball back and bully his way through the defence for his second of the game.
It was difficult to see a way back for Schweinfurt after this, and it didn’t take long for Frankfurt to find a third: Marius Wolf followed up on his first Bundesliga goal on Saturday with his first in the DFB-Pokal. With just moments left to play, substitute Danny Blum rounded off a comfortable win for Frankfurt with a fourth.
Mainz 3-2 Holstein Kiel (aet)
The clash between Mainz 05 and Holstein Kiel was an evenly-fought contest. Viktor Fischer made it 1-0 to the Bundesliga side after 22 minutes, but their visitors from the north coast shook off the goal well and began to pose a real threat going forward. In the second half, they were awarded a penalty which they dispatched to level the score. Mainz responded well: Viktor Fischer cropped up with another to make it 2-1, but not long after, Holstein Kiel found themselves with another chance to equalise from the spot - and they took their chance.
Despite conceding two equalisers, Mainz didn’t let their heads drop and came out of the traps in extra time much the better team. In the 101st minute, Daniel Brosinksi planted a free kick right into the top corner to win the game for Sandro Schwarz’s men.
Greuther Fürth 1-3 FC Ingolstadt 04
In Wednesday night’s Bavarian derby between Fürth and Ingolstadt, the two sides cancelled each other out completely in the first half, with set-pieces offering the only moments of real danger to either goal. The second half saw a complete turnaround: Greuther Fürth went ahead within seconds of the restart through David Raum, before Ingolstadt’s Almog Cohen converted from the penalty spot just two minutes later.
Once the teams had settled, it was Greuther Fürth who looked the more likely to score and go on to win. Ingolstadt, however, seemed to reserve their energies for the final ten minutes, when two goals in quick succession from Stefan Lex and Alfredo Morales respectively made the score 3-1, sending them into the Last 16 and leaving the hosts completely dumbstruck.
