1. FC Rielasingen-Arlen player Dennis Klose suffered a cramp in the clash against defending champions Borussia Dortmund and received help from both the referee and a World Cup winner. DFB.de presents a summary of this and more oddities in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
Cramp: 1. FC Rielasingen-Arlen goalkeeper Dennis Klose went to ground in the middle of the second half of the game against Borussia Dortmund. Referee Christian Dietz came to the rescue and helped – he saw to the keeper’s cramp and the keeper could play again after a little while. BVB substitute goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller didn’t hesitate to help either. The World Cup winner grabbed an energy gel and brought it to his opponent. True sportsmanship!
Frahn doesn’t have to strip: Chemnitzer FC forward Daniel Frahn proclaimed loudly that he would run naked through the stadium if the third-tier team managed to do the unthinkable against the record Pokal winners. After the 5-0 loss Frahn then rather sheepishly went on record to the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, saying: “The only person who’s happy is my wife. She threatened that if it were to happen, my suitcase would be by the door! And I wouldn’t have been able to pay for the divorce with the Pokal prize money.”
Two double appearances: Two referees adjudicated two matches each on the first Pokal weekend. While Robert Hartmann already knew of his duties to oversee the Karlsruhe vs. Leverkusen and Rostock vs. Hertha matches, Sven Jablonski had to act as a replacement at the last minute. He was refereeing Paderborn vs. St. Pauli only two days after he had overseen the match between Lüneburger SK Hansa and Mainz 05. The reason? Referee Florian Heft was unable to referee the Paderborn vs. St. Pauli match due to illness.
Pokal expert “Kono”: Yevhen Konoplyanka seems to have a particular fondness for the DFB-Pokal. He proved this recently in the match against BFC Dynamo when the winger shot Schalke 04 to victory with a brace. Konoplyanka has a great record in the DFB-Pokal – he has scored five goals in three matches. In total, “Kono” has scored seven of his eight goals for Schalke in all competitions in the Pokal.
Only one makes it through: There were 32 matches in the first round. The only team below the 3. Liga to reach the second round was Regionalliga side 1. FC Schweinfurt. Even the marshals were allowed to let their emotions show there. That’s what happened in the Willy-Sachs-Stadion, where three security staff passionately cheered during the 2-1 victory against 2. Bundesliga club SV Sandhausen.
Leaving to applause: After being promoted to the sixth tier of German football, amateur side Sportfreunde Dorfmerkingen played against Champions League starters RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal. The 5-0 loss was soon forgotten after the final whistle. The Leipzig fans made sure to applaud the sixth-tier team on their lap of honour.