Big guns through in German Cup
September 24, 2013Dortmund progressed via a 2-0 win over 1860 Munich, but the scoreline indicated a far easier job than the one that was required. Second-tier club 1860 were happy to concede possession to Jürgen Klopp's men, but ensured Dortmund were unable to find the back of the net in normal time through a concentrated defensive effort.
It took until the 105th minute for Dortmund to break the deadlock. Marco Reus had been Dortmund's most constant threat, and when he was brought down in the area by Dominik Stahl, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was presented with the chance from the spot.
He converted, with fellow forward Henrik Mkhitariyan making it 2-0 two minutes later as brave 1860 were eventually beaten.
The win was clearly a tonic for Dortmund and head coach Jürgen Klopp after a difficult week. Beaten in the Champions League by Napoli and losing both Klopp and goalkeeper Roman Wiedenfeller to suspension in the process, Dortmund also drew in their league match with Nuremberg on Saturday.
Dortmund were joined in the second round by fellow top-flight clubs Augsburg, Hoffenheim (in extra-time, over Energie Cottbus), Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen, with the latter easing past Arminia Bielefeld 2-0.
New boss, new round for Hamburg
Hamburg also progressed in a good sign for incoming head coach Bert van Marwijk, who takes his first training session on Wednesday. They did, however, have their own trouble defeating second-tier Bundesliga opposition, with Greuther Fürth a difficult side to break down and capable themselves of threatening.
But the troubled Bundesliga club, who lie in 16th on the league table, earned themselves a 1-0 win when a free-kick from promising midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu was spilled by Fürth goalkeeper Wolfgang Hesl.
Pierre-Michel Lasogga reacted quickest to tap past the flapping Hesl and send Hamburg into the third round of the competition.
The only real upset of the night belonged to second division club Cologne, who sent Mainz out with a 1-0 victory at Coface Arena. And it was a familiar face who doomed the Bundesliga outfit to a second-round exit.
Creative midfielder Marcel Risse was allowed to leave Mainz for hometown club Cologne over the off-season, and has been among the second Bundesliga's best performers this campaign. He returned to haunt Mainz with a 53rd-minute goal, capitalizing on a mix-up between Bo Svensson and Niki Zimling to beat Mainz goalkeeper Christian Wetklo.
Stoy turns sour for minnows
The one potential fairytale for the night fell flat, with fourth-division club Wiedenbrück taking the lead against Sandhausen, only to eventually lose 3-1.
Full scores: Preussen Munster 0-3 Augsburg, Wiedenbrück 1-3 Sandhausen, 1860 Munich 0-2 Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg 2-0 Aalen, Arminia Bielefeld 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg 1-0 Greuther Fürth, Mainz 0-1 Cologne, Hoffenheim 3-0 Energie Cottbus.