When Jiri Pavlenka tried in vain after Donny Bogicevic, the third division kicker, to make it 3-2 for Viktoria Köln, it was clear: There would be no cup sensation from Werder Bremen again, the Bundesliga club would not survive the first round again – for the sixth time since 2010, for the 13th time in total, the latter a first division record in which nobody wants to be involved. This is all the more striking because the Hanseatic League were one of the best German cup teams for two decades: between 1989 and 2010 the club reached the final nine times and won five of these finals. But then there were sour things at Heidenheim, in Münster and in Saarbrücken, at Sportfreunde Lotte, in Osnabrück and now in Cologne. The irritated FC Bayern, who last lost to Bremen in 2008, are traveling to the Bundesliga opener. Can it be meaner? Sure, of course: David Philipwho scored the first two goals in Cologne, said after the final whistle that he had been a Werder fan since he was a child. Milan Pavlovic
Small but BVB
A goal in the 6:1 against TSV Schott Mainz: Dortmund’s Donyell Malen, left, 1.76 meters.
(Photo: Hahne/Beautiful Sports/Imago)
Dwarf uprising in black and yellow: After Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic justified the search for an additional striker by saying that they were still looking for an alternative in the size range over “one meter eighty”, the smaller kickers settled down for the 6-1 cup win at the fourth division club Schott Mainz in the big stuff. Donyell Paint (1.76 meters), Marcel Sabitzer (1.78) and Youssoufa Moukoko (1.79) each contributed a goal. The rest came from the 185cm Julian Brandt and a double pack from the 199cm Sebastien Haller. The latter will play for Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations in early 2024 and will miss BVB by up to five games. The latest transfer rumor Armel Bella-Kotchap (FC Southampton) could confuse that. The German national player is 1.90 tall, but a central defender. In addition to Niklas Süle, Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck, BVB could use a fourth, especially since Süle was substituted in Mainz after 29 minutes with back pain. Ulrich Hartmann
Uzun replaces Thon
First game in the DFB Cup, first hat-trick: Can Uzun, 17, from 1. FC Nürnberg.
(Photo: Daniel Marr/Zink/Imago)
Can Uzun is only 17 years old, but he knew how to correctly classify what had happened. The Nuremberg talent is now “the youngest hat-trick in the DFB Cup since the Bundesliga was introduced in 1963,” as the German Press Agency noted. Uzun, who had already scored twice against Hannover in the second division, replaced Olaf Thon in this difficult record category. However, in 1984 Thon scored three times for Schalke in the semifinals against FC Bayern (6:6), Uzun in the first round at fifth division FC Oberneuland (9:1). “It was of course a completely different level than in the league,” stated Uzun. “But I’m happy with my goals.” And Nuremberg is happy about Uzun, who comes from Regensburg and has been playing at the club for four years. FCN youth director Michael Wiesinger once said about him: “He is totally ambitious and has facilities that not many players have. Above all, he knows where the goal is.” Apparently true. Markus Schäflein
Bochum bitter cold start
In the Bundesliga, VfL Bochum should show a different face than coach Thomas Letsch did during the game against Arminia Bielefeld.
(Photo: Ulrich Hufnagel/Imago)
Raised the budget to more than 40 million euros, brought the Brazilian Bernardo into defense, noticeably strengthened the thin midfield for the third Bundesliga year – and then at the start of the season with the actually solvable cup task at third division Arminia Bielefeld received a blow in the neck: in a penalty shootout ( 1:4, after extra time 2:2) a sluggishly trotting VfL Bochum was eliminated on the Bielefelder Alm. Trainer Thomas Letsch Afterwards he emphasized all the more eagerly how satisfied he was with the four new players Bernardo (RB Salzburg), Lukas Daschner (FC St. Pauli), Felix Passlack (Borussia Dortmund) and Matus Bero (Vitesse Arnheim) who were used in the preparation. The Bochum alternating baths of sometimes hot, sometimes bitterly cold performances continue directly in the new season. Letsch considers the squad better positioned than in the previous round, when they only managed to stay up on the last day. He says: “We have a squad with competition and opportunities for variation” – including emotional variability. Ulrich Hartmann