German football fans experienced plenty of excitement and saw some major suprises in the second round of the German Cup on September 22 and 23, 2009. And with tantalising match-ups drawn for the Round of 16 for October 27/28, followers of German football have more highlights to come.
All-Bundesliga Match-ups
Whenever two Bundesliga sides face off in the German Cup a top flight side will be sent packing. Hoffenheim scored in the first half to secure a 1-0 victory at four-time winners Nuremberg. Four-time winners Schalke were the second Bundesliga team to win on the road at another first division side, easing past local rivals Bochum 3-0.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the German Cup second round came in Cologne where the four-time winners and hosts jumped ahead 2-0 against the defending league champions Wolfsburg before holding on to win 3-2 to reach the Round of 16.
First Division Losses Against Lower Class Teams
There were five other Bundesliga sides who exited the competition in the second round, though they were knocked off by teams in lower divisions.
Bundesliga leaders and three-time cup champions Hamburg fell behind 2-0 against third division side Osnabrück before scoring twice in the final 13 minutes to force extra time. Both teams scored in extra time, setting up Osnabrück's shocker as goalkeeper Tino Berbig stopped Robert Tesche's attempt and Mladen Petric hit the post for a 4-2 Osnabrück win.
Struggling top flight side Hertha Berlin also saw themselves down 2-0 against second division side 1860 Munich before scoring in the 77th and 79th to send the game into extra time. After neither team scored, 1860 keeper Gabor Kiraly held Gojko Kacar's spot-kick and then Christoph Jancker shot over the goal to set up Radhouene Fehli's final conversion for a 4-1 victory for 1860 Munich.
Second division side Kaiserslautern went ahead 2-0 and then survived a late push by top flight Bayer Leverkusen to secure a 2-1 victory at home. Daniel Brinkmann's goal gave second division Augsburg a 1-0 win over promoted Bundesliga club Freiburg.
Top flight Borussia Mönchengladbach also suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of a second division team as former Gladbach player Kristoffer Andersen scored in the 90th minute to send Duisburg into delirium in the first German Cup home match at Borussia-Park.
Frankfurt Hold Off Aachen, Bayern And Dortmund Cruise
Eintracht Frankfurt made things much more exciting than they had hope in beating second division Alemannia Aachen 6-4. Frankfurt went ahead 5-1 before watching Aachen cut the deficit to 5-4 with three minutes left before deciding the game in the final minute.
Bayern Munich led a group of Bundesliga teams easing into the Round of 16. The 14-time winners beat second division Oberhausen 5-0 at home; Borussia Dortmund won 3-0 at second division Karlsruhe; Werder Bremen knocked off second division St. Pauli 2-1 at home; and Stuttgart struggled to beat fourth division Lübeck 3-1 on the road.
The other results were fourth division Eintracht Trier beating second division Arminia Bielefeld 4-2, Koblenz knocking off fellow second division side Energie Cottbus 4-2 and Greuther Fürth beat Rot-Weiß Ahlen 3-2 in a second division showdown.
Draw For Round Of 16
Following the second round results, the draw was made for the Round of 16, which will be played on October 27 and 28, 2009 among eight Bundesliga teams, six second division sides and one team from each the third and fourth divisions.
1860 Munich – Schalke
Greuther Fürth –Stuttgart
Osnabrück – Borussia Dortmund
Eintracht Trier – Cologne
Werder Bremen – Kaiserslautern
Augsburg –Duisburg
Hoffenheim –Koblenz
Eintracht Frankfurt – Bayern Munich
