Borussia Dortmund secured their passage to the round of 16 in the DFB Pokal by defeating Werder Bremen 3-2. Serhou Guirassy scored the opening goal for the hosts in the 6th minute. The goal resulted from an aggressive attack initiated by BVB midfielder Felix Nmecha, who played the ball to Maximilian Beier on the left flank. Beier then crossed the ball directly into the penalty area, where Julian Ryerson laid it on for Guirassy, who finished the direct shot low and hard from close range.
Carney Chukwuemeka doubled Dortmund’s lead in the 17th minute. After the Dortmund players circulated the ball in the opponent’s half without heavy pressure, Joey Veerman crossed the ball high into the penalty box. Jobe Bellingham headed the ball back to his teammate Chukwuemeka, who smashed it into the lower right corner on the first touch.
In the 65th minute, Niclas Füllkrug opened the scoring for Werder Bremen via a converted penalty kick. This followed an incident in the BVB penalty area where defender Ryerson tripped opponent Mick Schmetgens, leading referee Robert Schröder to award the spot-kick. Füllkrug then doubled his tally just three minutes later, scoring the equalizer for the visitors in the 68th minute. Werder’s midfielder Chuki passed the ball to Füllkrug, who evaded BVB defender Waldemar Anton and suddenly found open space heading toward the Dortmund goal. Füllkrug struck from outside the penalty area with a precisely placed long-range shot into the lower right corner.
The final score was determined in the 3rd minute of injury time in the second half when Marcel Sabitzer scored the winning goal for the home side. From a half-left position, Sabitzer scored a remarkable direct free kick from around 20 meters out, sending it into the upper left corner, making the final score 3-2.
In a parallel match, the second-tier side SV Darmstadt 98 also advanced to the round of 16, defeating Bundesliga side SV Elversberg 2-0 away from home. Lars Kehl began the match in the 6th minute by scoring a spectacular free-kick from 25 yards out. The ball hit the inside of the post and rebounded into the net. Although Elversberg dominated the play, they were unable to overcome the well-organized defense of the guests. Darmstadt goalkeeper Schuhen delivered a strong performance throughout the match.
Milan Smit then doubled Darmstadt’s lead in the 56th minute. Following a low corner from Duijvestijn, the ball reached Smit in the penalty area, who had no trouble putting the ball in the net. Despite the deficit, Elversberg pressed for a goal, but precision in finishing proved lacking. In the final minutes, Elversberg tried everything to change the course of the game, but the Darmstadt defense held firm. The guests from Darmstadt celebrated their qualification, while Elversberg ultimately came up short despite a fighting performance.
Other results in the cup include: 1. FC Köln vs. 1. FC Union Berlin 5-0, and Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Karlsruher SC 2-0.
