The 13th Bundesliga club competing in the DFB Cup is the first to not make it to the second round: VfL Bochum loses in Regensburg and is out. While Hertha BSC and Darmstadt 98 solve their tasks confidently, 1. FC Köln has to go into extra time. Last season, four Bundesliga teams failed to reach the promotion hurdle against lower-class opponents, and now all eleven first division teams that have started so far are through. Champion and cup winner Bayer Leverkusen and runner-up VfB Stuttgart are entering the competition late.
Jahn Regensburg – VfL Bochum 1:0 (0:0)
VfL Bochum got off to a false start under its new coach Peter Zeidler and was the first Bundesliga team to fail at the DFB Cup opening hurdle. VfL lost 0-1 (0-0) to second division promoted Jahn Regensburg and, as in the previous year, missed out on a place in the second round.
At that time there was an end against Arminia Bielefeld. Florian Ballas (70th) sealed the defeat for VfL this Sunday, who were rarely able to pose any danger, especially in the second half, and now have to concentrate fully on the league.
After narrowly avoiding relegation in the relegation game against Fortuna Düsseldorf, Zeidler, who had previously been a coach at the Swiss first division club FC St. Gallen, took over at the beginning of July from Thomas Letsch, who was released in the relegation battle, and interim coach Heiko Butscher. Next Saturday (3:30 p.m./Sky) the 62-year-old will be on the sidelines for the first time in the Bundesliga in the away game at RB Leipzig.
The Bochum team, whose jerseys were adorned with a sleeve sponsorship from singer Herbert Grönemeyer, had taken control of the game from the start, as they were favorites. However, VfL only became really dangerous after a good half hour, but both Maximilian Wittek (34th) and Moritz Broschinski (36th) missed the lead.
Even after the break, Bochum initially managed to keep the pressure up: Once again it was Wittek (50th) who was denied by Regensburg goalkeeper Felix Gebhardt. At the same time, Jahn also became more active and had better and better opportunities. In fact, Regensburg's Kai Pröger (60th) came closest to taking the lead with a hit on the post or Dominik Kother (69th). Ballas' goal was logical.
Bochum then started again, and Zeidler also tried to push his players forward in the final phase. But the danger had passed. Regensburg defended robustly and continued to get dangerous shots themselves.
SV Sandhausen – 1. FC Cologne 2:3 aet, (2:2, 0:2)
With their first win under new coach Gerhard Struber, 1. FC Köln reached the second round with unnecessary difficulty. The Bundesliga relegated team won 3-2 after extra time against third division team SV Sandhausen. It wasn't until the sixth minute of stoppage time that FC conceded a 2-2 lead after taking a 2-0 lead.
Cologne started dominantly, decisively – and scored. Julian Pauli, 19 years old and brought up from the A youth team, scored his first professional goal with a header from a corner (19th). FC forced Sandhausen onto the defensive and followed up: Linton Maina scored the second goal from a half-right position after Mathias Olesen was put down. Only a foul whistle from referee Benjamin Brand when Cologne was supposedly 3-0 prevented a decision being made before the break.
A hand penalty brought Sandhausen into the game. The ball jumped to FC central defender Timo Hübers' hand and Besar Halimi converted safely (59'). Since the Cologne team, like at the start of the league – one defeat, one draw – did not exploit their chances properly, it remained exciting. SVS goalkeeper Nikolai Rehnen prevented further goals from being conceded several times in an away atmosphere in front of 15,000 spectators, and then Richard Meier actually scored the equalizer. Olesen (116th) sealed Cologne's fully deserved victory late on.
Hansa Rostock – Hertha BSC 1:5 (0:1)
Hertha BSC has taken the first step towards a final in their own stadium. After a strong performance, the Berliners prevailed 5-1 (1-0) against third division club Hansa Rostock in an atmospheric duel and reached the second round for the third time in the past four years.
Derry Scherhant (38th), Ibrahim Maza (66th), Marten Winkler (75th) and Florian Niederlechner (85th, 88th) scored to win for the second division team, which had made it to the quarter-finals in the cup last season. A bad pass from goalkeeper Marius Gersbeck, who had invited Hansa striker Albin Berisha to equalize (46th), had no consequences. After a defeat and a draw at the start of the second division, it was the first competitive win under coach Cristian Fiel, who took over for club icon Pal Dardai in the summer.
In the Ostseestadion it was initially a game of equals. Hansa's Cedric Harenbrock shot over the goal from a good position (35'). A little later, Scherhant scored from a standard to give Berlin the lead.
Immediately after the break, Hertha keeper Gersbeck invited the Rostock team to equalize: The 29-year-old played the ball right into Berisha's foot without any pressure, so that the striker from Kosovo was able to slot in without any problems. But the Berliners hit back impressively through Maza, Winkler and Niederlechner.
Bremer SV – SC Paderborn 0:4 (0:1)
Second division team SC Paderborn moved into the second round without any problems. Coach Lukas Kwasniok's team won 4-0 (1-0) against the regional league team Bremer SV. Paderborn impressed in the early part of the season with two wins in the 2nd league.
The guests should have decided the game early on in front of 3,500 spectators at Bremen's Panzenberg. Raphael Obermair (18th minute/25th) failed because of the strong BSV keeper Pascal Wiewrodt. Only Adriano Grimaldi beat the Bremen goalkeeper with a header (21'). The Hanseatic League missed a great chance to equalize through Amoro Diedhiou shortly before the break. His attempt went over the goal.
The evaluation of chances was Paderborn's problem in the first half. In the second half, the Kwasniok team was accurate: 19-year-old Santiago Castaneda (51') after a corner, veteran Sven Michel (52') with a long-range shot and Grimaldi again (58') made the decision after the break .
Teutonia Ottensen – SV Darmstadt 98 1:3 (0:2)
Bundesliga relegated team Darmstadt 98 averted a clear false start to the new season and moved into the second round. After two defeats from two league games, the Lilies won 3-1 (2-0) at regional league team Teutonia Ottensen.
Kai Klefisch (19th), Fabian Nürnberger (28th, penalty) and Oscar Vilhelmsson (62nd) ensured Bundesliga newcomers FC St. Pauli's place in the second round at the Millerntor Stadium. Because Christian Stark (49th) only managed to score the next goal for Ottensen, the Lilies can concentrate on their tasks in the league until the second round games on October 29th and 30th.
After being relegated from the Bundesliga as clear bottom of the table last season, the Darmstadt team is already under pressure after two match days in the 2nd league. After the opening defeats against Fortuna Düsseldorf (0:2) and SC Paderborn (1:3), the third matchday on Sunday (3:30 p.m./Sky) against 1. FC Nürnberg with coach Miroslav Klose.
VfV 06 Hildesheim – SV Elversberg 0:7 (0:3)
Second division team SV Elversberg confidently reached the second round. The Saarland team won 7-0 (3-0) at VfV 06 Hildesheim from the fifth-class Lower Saxony Oberliga.
Luca Schnellbacher (17th minute), Robin Fellhauer (32nd) and an own goal from Yannik Schulze (43rd) secured the favorite a clear lead at the break. In the second half, Paul Stock (51'), Frederik Schmahl (62'), Carlo Sickinger (77') and Joseph Boyamba (78') also scored for Elversberg.
Two years ago both clubs were still playing at regional league level. After the 2022/23 season, however, the Hildesheimers were relegated to the fifth division, while Elversberg tried to move through to the 2nd Bundesliga.
