In the second round of the DFB Cup, Hertha BSC celebrated a 3-0 (1-0) victory in the second division duel against SV Elversberg. The hosts slept through the opening phase, but then played a dominant second half. A missed hand penalty for Elversberg early in the game was particularly explosive.
A strong Diego Demme and a perfectly rehearsed set piece are fueling the Berlin fans’ faint hopes for the long-awaited DFB Cup final in their own stadium. The guests from Elversberg, who were initially superior, could not find their way back into the game after falling behind early on due to Michael Cuisance (15th).
A clear hand penalty from Demme was denied to SVE before the break before Sebastian Gronning (58th) made it 2-0 for Hertha with his fourth goal of the season. In stoppage time, substitute Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson scored from the penalty spot to make the final score 3-0. SVE captain Lukas Pinckert caused the penalty with an emergency brake and saw the late red card.
As usual, the third-place team in the 2nd Bundesliga got off to a strong start in the Berlin Olympic Stadium. Berlin goalkeeper Tjark Ernst had to verbally wake up those in front of him time and time again in the first ten minutes. That worked immediately. First captain Fabian Reese fought for the ball from the opponent at the halfway line, then Diego Demme didn’t think twice and sent Cuisance with a long ball.
Brilliant moment from Demme gives us the lead
The ex-Munich player kept his nerve in the duel with goalkeeper Nicolas Kristof and confidently shot into the top right corner (15th). It was the hosts’ first action worth seeing; previously the guests had clearly dominated the game. The flattering opening goal gave the Berliners a real boost in self-confidence, whereas the visitors needed a little time to overcome the sudden deficit. Minutes later it was almost equalized again.
After a corner, Demme involuntarily extended and forced Ernst to make a very strong save (20th). It was only afterwards that it became clear that the midfielder deflected the ball with his upper arm spread apart. Since the VAR is only used in the DFB Cup from the round of 16 onwards, the scene could not be checked. Lucky for the hosts, even if the guests’ excitement was limited.
After another Demme pass: Gronning misses a great chance
Until the break, the capitalists limited themselves to counterattacks and long balls, which caused danger, especially through Düsseldorf hero Maurice Krattenmacher. Both second division teams did not create any significant chances in the first half. But things got tricky for SV just minutes after the restart. Demme again with a strong pass, this time to Gronning, who frighteningly misplaced the ball (49′).
But just minutes later the Dane did better. An unsuccessful cross from Reese led to the first corner for Hertha. Marton Dardai first extended the cross at the first post with a header before the onrushing Gronning was allowed to nod in unhindered at the second post to make it 2-0 (58th). In reverse, the same combination almost made it 3-0 just eight minutes later; Elversberg only found solutions against the Berlin corners with a lot of help.
Hertha clear after the second goal game-determining
In the final phase, the home team were significantly closer to scoring the next goal than the guests were to the next goal. After winning the ball in their own penalty area, Hertha countered quickly. In the end, goal scorer Cuisance only hit the right outside post after an assist from Gronning (78th). After that, the Saarlanders threw everything into the offensive and were dangerous twice with their heads. The seriousness that had been strong until then didn’t even have to intervene.
Shortly before the end, captain Lukas Pinckert’s red card sealed the guests’ bad evening. Substitute Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson confidently converted the penalty after the Icelander had already taken it. The cup season for the surprise team from Elversberg ended with their second competitive defeat in a row. Hertha can celebrate reaching the round of 16 after an entertaining performance.