There are always outsiders that manage to come up with a surprise now and again and VfL Osnabrück is one of them. The Lilly Whites will have the chance to do just that when they take on Bundesliga outfit Hamburger SV and as a confident third-division side, they certainly should not be written off.
The last time the two clubs met was back on 23rd September 2009, and this year’s minnows certainly have fond memories of this one. In one of the most dramatic matches in the club’s history, Osnabrück stunned the favourites to win 4-2 on penalties (3-3 after extra-time) to progress to the second round. Another giant-killing was to follow against Borussia Dortmund, meaning that the club advanced to the quarter-finals, further than they ever had before.
Crowd trouble costs victory over Leipzig
Osnabrück have made it to the second round on one occasion since then, beating Erzgebirge Aue 3-0 in the 2013/14 season. Their last outing in the DFB Pokal ended on a sour note after they were leading RB Leipzig 1-0 with less than 20 minutes to go, but the match was awarded to the visitors after flairs were thrown onto the pitch.
Since lifting the trophy for the third time in the competition 30 years ago, Hamburg have never made it further than the semi-finals and will be feeling cautious ahead of this tie, especially since the third tier will be well underway once the two teams meet. “This is certainly a tough draw for the first round,” said sporting director Jens Todt. “Osnabrück are very strong at home but we are the Bundesliga side and therefore will clearly be favourites for this one.”
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There are always outsiders that manage to come up with a surprise now and again and VfL Osnabrück is one of them. The Lilly Whites will have the chance to do just that when they take on Bundesliga outfit Hamburger SV and as a confident third-division side, they certainly should not be written off.
The last time the two clubs met was back on 23rd September 2009, and this year’s minnows certainly have fond memories of this one. In one of the most dramatic matches in the club’s history, Osnabrück stunned the favourites to win 4-2 on penalties (3-3 after extra-time) to progress to the second round. Another giant-killing was to follow against Borussia Dortmund, meaning that the club advanced to the quarter-finals, further than they ever had before.
Crowd trouble costs victory over Leipzig
Osnabrück have made it to the second round on one occasion since then, beating Erzgebirge Aue 3-0 in the 2013/14 season. Their last outing in the DFB Pokal ended on a sour note after they were leading RB Leipzig 1-0 with less than 20 minutes to go, but the match was awarded to the visitors after flairs were thrown onto the pitch.
Since lifting the trophy for the third time in the competition 30 years ago, Hamburg have never made it further than the semi-finals and will be feeling cautious ahead of this tie, especially since the third tier will be well underway once the two teams meet. “This is certainly a tough draw for the first round,” said sporting director Jens Todt. “Osnabrück are very strong at home but we are the Bundesliga side and therefore will clearly be favourites for this one.”
