HAMBURG (dpa-AFX) – The defending champion is out! Borussia Dortmund (BVB (Borussia Dortmund)) had to say goodbye to the second division leaders FC St. Pauli in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup after a poor performance for long stretches. Thanks to a strong performance on Tuesday evening, the Hamburg team deservedly won 2-1 (2-0) against BVB coached by Marco Rose, who is well behind FC Bayern, who have already been eliminated in the cup, in second place in the Bundesliga.
Etienne Amenyido (4th minute) and Dortmund’s Axel Witsel (40th/own goal) scored for the Kiezclub in front of 2000 fans in the Millerntor Stadium. The goal from star striker Erling Haaland (58th penalty) was not enough for BVB – in the final phase, Rose’s team fought back against defeat, but was unsuccessful.
In the first round of 16 participation in 16 years, St. Pauli coach Timo Schultz also offered up goal against the favored Bundesliga runners-up Dennis Smarsch, as expected. The actual reservist behind Nikola Vasilj had impressed in the first two rounds against Magdeburg and Dresden (3:2 each) and should “also shine against BVB”, as Schultz had said before the game.
But first Amenyido shone, who was on the spot after Marcel Hartel’s template and scored early. The guests, who switched to three positions compared to the convincing 5:1 over Freiburg, found their way into the game slowly. Smarsch briefly came into focus when he cleared the free Thorgan Hazard (7th) and Marco Reus (18th).
BVB found it increasingly difficult against well defending Hanseatic Leagues. Goal scorer Haaland hardly appeared in the first half except for a shot over the goal (19th). A counterattack by Guido Burgstaller before the break made it 2-0 when Dortmund’s Witsel failed to save – the own goal was loudly celebrated by the Hamburg fans in the stadium.
After the change, the Dortmunders partially constricted the Kiezkicker in their half. But they not only defended well, they also remained dangerous: Burgstaller (54th/55th) just missed twice. An unfortunate handball by Jakov Medic then brought BVB back into play according to video evidence. Haaland didn’t miss the penalty opportunity and immediately got the ball out of the goal net for the remaining minutes to catch up.
Rose tried to further strengthen the offensive with the addition of Donyell Malen for the hapless Hazard (66). Raphael Guerreiro missed a shot when he had a good chance (67th). Dortmund now pressed on the 2:2. St. Pauli remained dangerous on the counterattack./tpr/DP/zb