VfL shock balls
©IMAGO
Almost twelve weeks after the spectacular rescue from the Bundesliga relegation zone, VfL Bochum started the new season with disappointment. The team of new coach Peter Zeidler was eliminated in the first round of the DFB Cup. The Ruhr team suffered a 0-1 (0-0) defeat at SSV Jahn Regensburg. The team from Regensburg, recently returned to the 2nd Bundesliga, can look forward to further highlights in the cup against top teams after the coup.
Regensburg central defender Florian Ballas made it 1-0 in the 70th minute after a deserved corner. As in the previous season, when Bochum lost on penalties in Bielefeld, VfL did not make it past the first round of the cup. Previously, all other Bundesliga teams had won their away games at the weekend. In front of 12,581 spectators, the guests controlled the game for a long time, especially in midfield. However, VfL initially barely penetrated the penalty area, which is why they tried to shoot from long range: Maximilian Wittek’s finish (34th) was the best chance of the first half, but Jahn goalkeeper Felix Gebhardt made a brilliant save.
Cologne survives extra time at Sandhausen: Olesen buys FC
1. FC Köln had to play extra time against third division team SV Sandhausen. The FC was unable to cross the finish line with a 2-0 lead thanks to Julian Pauli (19th) and Linton Maina (34th), Besar Halimi (59th) and Richard Meier (90th + 6) who caused late celebrations for the hosts. In the end, the goats still came out on top. Mathias Olesen saved his team from a penalty shootout with his goal in the 116th minute.
Hertha BSC reached the second round with a victory. The Berliners claimed a 5-1 (1-0) victory in a hard-fought encounter against relegated second division side Hansa Rostock. At the Rostock Ostseestadion, Derry Scherhant had put the championship favourites 1-0 ahead (38th minute). Albin Berisha equalised immediately after the break (46th minute), before Ibrahim Maza (66th minute), Marten Winkler (75th minute) and Florian Niederlechner (85th and 88th minute) put Hertha on the road to victory. Due to the great rivalry between the two camps of supporters, the match was considered a risky match, but things remained calm until the end of the match.
SC Paderborn have easily reached the second round of the DFB Cup. Coach Lukas Kwasniok’s team won 4-0 (1-0) against regional league team Bremer SV. Paderborn impressed at the start of the season with two wins in the 2nd league. The guests should have decided the game right from the start in front of 3,500 spectators at the Panzenberg in Bremen. Raphael Obermair (18th minute/25th minute) failed because of the solid BSV goalkeeper Pascal Wiewrodt. Only Adriano Grimaldi beat the Bremen goalkeeper with a header (21st minute). The Hanseatic League missed a great chance to equalize through Amoro Diedhiou shortly before the break. His attempt went over the goal. Evaluating chances was Paderborn’s problem in the first half. In the second half, Kwasniok’s team was precise: Santiago Castaneda, 19 years old (51′) after a corner, the veteran Sven Michel (52′) with a long-range shot and again Grimaldi (58′) made the decision after the break.
Elversberg and Darmstadt also reach the second round of the DFB Cup
SV Elversberg confidently qualified for the next round. The Saarland team won 7-0 (3-0) at VfV 06 Hildesheim in the fifth-tier Lower Saxony Oberliga.
Luca Schnellbacher (17th minute), Robin Fellhauer (32nd minute) and an own goal from Yannik Schulze (43rd minute) gave the favourites a clear lead at half-time. In the second half, Paul Stock (51st minute), Frederik Schmahl (62nd minute), Carlo Sickinger (77th minute) and Joseph Boyamba (78th minute) also scored for Elversberg.
Darmstadt 98 have secured their first competitive victory after being relegated from the Bundesliga. After two defeats at the start of the second division, the Lilies won 3-1 (2-0) against the Hamburg regional league team Teutonia Ottensen. The game took place at FC St. Pauli’s Millerntor stadium. Kai Klefisch (19′) and Fabian Nürnberger (28’/penalty) gave Darmstadt a seemingly safe lead before the break. Christian Stark’s goal made the game even more exciting. The Swede Oscar Vilhelmsson made the decision in the 62nd minute. But even after that, the regional league team had two more chances to get closer (68’/83′). In the end, Darmstadt deserved to win, but not with confidence. For a successful season in the 2nd Bundesliga, the Hessians must continue to improve.
