Hertha, who had given everything to take the game this far, would have taken a penalty shootout straight away, and they were not able to hold out for long in extra time. Eight minutes into the additional 30, Lewandowski lobbed a cross towards the back post where Coman, unfazed by four Hertha players around him, leaped highest to nod the ball over the line. With energy levels unsurprisingly dropping, Bayern saw this lead out relatively comfortably and so became the final team to book their place in the last eight.
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Bayern needed extra time in the capital, while Schalke strolled comfortably through to the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal. DFB.de bring you the full summary of Wednesday night’s last of the last 16 ties.
Schalke sweep Fortuna Düsseldorf aside
FC Schalke 04 have reached the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals after they defeated Fortuna Düsseldorf 4-1. The Royal-Blues, who last won the tournament for the fifth time in 2011, remembered their former manager Rudi Assauer at kick-off. The club held a minute silence at the start of the match to remember the 74 year-old, who passed away earlier on Wednesday.
There was little action of note in the opening stages of the match as the Royal Blues failed to break down a stubborn Fortuna defence while the visitors failed to cause any dangers on the counter. However, the match exploded into life in the 30th minute as youngster Ahmed Kutucu fired the hosts ahead with a superb left foot shot which left Düsseldorf goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny with no chance. Alfredo Morales threatened Ralf Fährmann from a long range shot in the 35th minute but this was the closest the visitors came to equalising in the first half.
Schalke doubled their lead just after the restart as Drobny was able to deny Weston McKennie on two separate occasions, but was helpless as Salif Sané struck home the rebound (48’). The Royal Blues were denied by the frame of the goal three minutes later as Kutucu hit the post. Eventually, Mark Uth did score a deserved third goal for the Royal Blues, tapping home after a Drobny error.
Rouwen Hennings did pull a goal back for Fortuna Düsseldorf with just under twenty minutes to go but this proved to be nothing more than a consolation for the visitors. Sané would have the final word for Schalke as the Senegalese centre-back headed home to secure his brace with a late fourth goal for the hosts.
Hertha take Bayern to extra time
Hertha BSC took an early lead following a lively start to their cup tie against FC Bayern München in Berlin. Leon Goretzka was booked for an alleged dive at one end and, before Bayern had an opportunity to dispute the call, the hosts had gone up the other end to score themselves – Max Mittelstädt firing a low strike past deputy keeper Sven Ulreich.
The euphoria didn’t last long for the home fans, as just four minutes later the record winners leveled through a well-struck half volley from Serge Gnabry.
The second half started in similar lightening fashion, but this time it was Bayern who seized the initiative – once again through Gnabry, who fired low and hard past Rune Jarstein. But as has often been the case this season for last season’s runners up, the one-goal lead wasn’t safe for long. Substitute Davie Selke pounced on a lapse of concentration in the Bayern defence before squeezing a shot past Sven Ulreich to make it 2-2.
Extra time beckoned
Hertha, who had given everything to take the game this far, would have taken a penalty shootout straight away, and they were not able to hold out for long in extra time. Eight minutes into the additional 30, Lewandowski lobbed a cross towards the back post where Coman, unfazed by four Hertha players around him, leaped highest to nod the ball over the line. With energy levels unsurprisingly dropping, Bayern saw this lead out relatively comfortably and so became the final team to book their place in the last eight.