Borussia Dortmund advanced to the German Cup last 16
after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday
night.
Frankfurt took an early lead in the seventh minute
when Mario Götze split the Dortmund defence with a superb pass for Ansgar
Knauff — both former Dortmund players — to calmly slot home.
Dortmund equalised three minutes after halftime as
Julian Brandt tapped in a Julian Ryerson cross from close range. The match
ended 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra time, though Frankfurt’s Jonathan Burkardt
thought he had scored a late winner in the 115th minute before his effort was
ruled out for offside.
In the shootout, Dortmund were flawless from the spot
— Fabio Silva, Niklas Süle, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Felix Nmecha all converted.
Frankfurt’s Ritsu Doan fired over the bar, while Fares Chaibi saw his effort
saved by Gregor Kobel to seal Dortmund’s 4-2 shootout victory.
“We’ve got a sensational goalie and plenty of good
penalty shooters. It feels nice,” said Brandt after the win.
The game was a rematch of the 2017 German Cup final,
which Dortmund won 2-1, when current Dortmund coach Niko Kovac was in charge of
Frankfurt.
Elsewhere, RB Leipzig cruised past Energie Cottbus
4-1, with Johan Bakayoko and Christoph Baumgartner both netting twice. Bochum
stunned top-flight Augsburg 1-0 away, and Borussia Mönchengladbach beat
Karlsruhe 3-1. Hertha Berlin defeated Elversberg 3-0, Hamburg edged Heidenheim
1-0, and Holstein Kiel upset Wolfsburg 1-0.
On Wednesday, Bayern Munich travel to Cologne, while
defending champions Stuttgart face Mainz.
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