Keep waiting for the sensation
Kiel averts a catastrophic start, BVB has plenty of aluminum trouble
The DFB Cup is still waiting for its first big sensation. Holstein Kiel is very close to becoming the first prominent victim, but the promoted team saves itself late into the next round. Borussia Dortmund is in league with aluminum and performs its mandatory task lackluster. 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.
1. FC Phönix Lübeck – Borussia Dortmund 1:4 (0:3)
Hardly over the opening hurdle: Nuri Sahin celebrated a lackluster success in his competitive debut as coach of Borussia Dortmund. In the first round of the DFB Cup, BVB defeated the regional league team 1. FC Phönix Lübeck in Hamburg 4-1 (3-0) after a playful performance that could be improved.
New signings Waldemar Anton (3rd), Emre Can (31st/foul penalty) and Julian Brandt (45th+2) scored in the first half in the almost sold-out Volkspark, where the Lübeck team had moved for their “game of the century”. Julien Duranville (62') countered Obina Iloka's (55') goal in the second half.
The gain in knowledge about the form of the Champions League finalist was limited against the strong fourth division team. A week before the tricky Bundesliga opener against Eintracht Frankfurt next Saturday (6.30 p.m./Sky), BVB revealed to the new man on the sidelines some lack of concentration when in possession of the ball.
Numerous Dortmund fans made the game an unusual “home game” for BVB. They saw an opponent running high, who annoyed the initially erratic BVB and even created a few half-chances. Cans 2-0 after a penalty and the preliminary decision in injury time of the first half after Brand's well-considered finish in a one-on-one, but the defensively vulnerable Lübeck team could not prevent.
Sahin, who won the championship as a player with BVB and succeeded Edin Terzic this summer at the age of just 35, had to make a substitution at halftime despite being clearly in the lead. Substitute goalkeeper Alexander Meyer came on for the slightly injured Gregor Kobel (back).
And he had to quickly get behind himself – because Brandt wasted the ball in midfield and Iloka then scored dryly into the top left corner from around 16 meters. 2289 days after his last Bundesliga game as a player, Sahin reacted and, among others, helped Yan Couto make his debut in BVB's five-man defense.
The next chance once again belonged to the cheeky home team in a foreign stadium. Emanuel Adou hit the outside post after an hour, and the North Germans hit the post and crossbar twice more later. The 18-year-old BVB top talent Duranville was not impressed by this and in return restored the three-goal lead with a tunnel. The BVB supporters also celebrated loudly in the 68th minute when ex-Hoffenheim player and national player Maximilian Beier stepped onto the pitch for the first time in the black and yellow uniform.
Alemannia Aachen – Holstein Kiel 2:3 (1:1)
Newly promoted Holstein Kiel made it into the second round with a lot of effort. With passionately fighting third division returnees Alemannia Aachen, coach Marcel Rapp's team won a wild first round game 3-2 (1-1) thanks to a brilliant final offensive. Substitute defender Lasse Rosenboom was Holstein's hero of the day with two goals. Thanks to their hard-fought success, the Schleswig-Holsteiners are now heading into the first Bundesliga season in their club's history with a tailwind.
Thanks to goals from Shuto Machino (16th) and Rosenboom (82nd/90th+1), Holstein secured their ticket to the next round; Rosenboom was only substituted on in the 79th minute. Captain Mika Hanraths (28th) and Charlison Benschop (60th) scored for Aachen. The Kiel team continues next Saturday (3:30 p.m./Sky) at the historic league opener at TSG Hoffenheim. After the rise of the storks, a team from the northernmost federal state is playing in the upper house for the first time.
At the Tivoli, the hosts kept up well from the start. However, once they were sleeping, Holstein struck. After a cross from Finn Porath, Machino headed in unchallenged. After that, Aachen was at least on par. Anton Heinz hit a corner sharply in front of the Kiel goal, Hanraths held out his leg – and equalized. Before the break, Aachen's Benschop (39') aimed just wide before Heinz (44') forced Holstein goalkeeper Timon Weiner to make a save.
After half-time, both teams fought for control of the game, with Aachen continuing to get their chances – and capitalizing on them. When he finished to make it 2-1, Benschop shot himself at his supporting leg, making the ball unstoppable for Weiner. As a result, the Kiel team ran, captain Lewis Holtby failed with a shot past Alemannia keeper Marcel Johnen (62nd), before Benedikt Pichler narrowly missed just a minute later. When Rosenboom scored just three minutes after coming on as a substitute, Holstein pushed for a last-minute win – and the final act was also reserved for the 22-year-old.
Arminia Bielefeld – Hannover 96 2:0 (2:0)
Second division team Hannover 96 failed again at their opening hurdle. The 1992 cup winners lost 2-0 (0-2) to third division team Arminia Bielefeld after a weak opening phase and, like the previous year, were eliminated in the first round.
Bielefeld's new signing Andre Becker (13th) got Arminia on track early on, Louis Oppie (22nd) scored a dream goal a little later against the Hanoverians who were much too passive at the start. While Bielefeld celebrated their third win in the third competitive game of the new season, 96 suffered their first defeat.
Coach Stefan Leitl's team mainly had themselves to blame for the bad start to the game: Becker immediately took advantage of a mistake by captain Marcel Halstenberg to take the lead. Even after that, Arminia remained dominant in the game, the 2-0 win thanks to a remarkable long-range shot from Oppie was deserved even at this early stage.
Leitl saw a need for action – and made two substitutions in the 37th minute. In fact, Hannover now established itself in the opponent's half more often, but only rarely found a way through against securely defending Bielefeld, who will now have their opponents drawn for the second round on September 1st. The games will then be played on October 29th and 30th.
