Double packer Haris Tabakovic celebrates his first goal in the cup triumph against Mainz 05 Photo: picture alliance / BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Luciano Lima
By Roberto Lamprecht
Wow, Hertha can win the cup again! The capital club beat Mainz completely overwhelmed 3-0 in front of only 29,621 spectators from the Olympic Stadium. Hertha in the round of 16 – and how!
Last season there was an embarrassing exit in round 1 in Braunschweig. Pal Dardai’s cup record is different – as coach, he leads Hertha to the round of 16 for the third time in a row. He’s the Cup Pal!
45.+3: After Winkler’s pass, Hertha striker Niederlechner goes down in a duel with Mainz Leitsch. Lucky penalty for the Berliners. Reese converts safely into the left corner – 1-0.
Fabian Reese sends Mainz keeper Robin Zentner into the wrong corner and scores to make it 1-0 Photo: REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
46th minute: This time a hand penalty for Hertha – lucky again. Long throw-in from Reese, Hertha’s Leistner hits Mainz’s Lee lightly in the head with his elbow in the air fight, the ball flies further to Gruda’s chest and from there inadvertently to his arm. Tabakovic takes over and shoots flat into the middle to make it 2-0 (50th).
Haris Tabakovic hits the penalty with full force into the middle to make it 2-0 Photo: picture alliance / Andreas Gora
Then Tabakovic scores again! After Kenny’s cross, he heads it in to make it 3-0 (61′). His 12th goal in the 12th competitive game! Fans “celebrate” this masterpiece with firecrackers.
Here Haris Tabakovic makes everything clear with his header to make it 3-0 Photo: picture alliance/dpa
In the last league game against Paderborn (3:1), Reese (two assists) and Tabakovic (2 goals) were the Berlin dream couple. Now they are also the cup dream couple.
Substitute goalkeeper Marius Gersbeck watches the triumph live as a spectator.
Hertha received 862,400 euros from the DFB for reaching the round of 16. Money that cash-strapped Berliners urgently need. And if Hertha continues so confidently in the cup, there will be a lot of bonuses to come.