From the dream of defending the title: Borussia Dortmund missed out on reaching the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup. After a poor performance, the favorites were beaten by FC St. Pauli 1:2 (0:2) in the round of 16 at the Millerntor. Etienne Amenyido (4th) and Axel Witsel (40th) with an own goal caused the sensation by the second division team from Hamburg, the goal by Haaland (58th) with a penalty was far too little for BVB’s great ambitions.
After Bayern Munich (out in the second round), the second big title contender for the final on May 21 in Berlin also failed. For the first time since Eintracht Frankfurt (2018), the winner of the DFB Cup will not come from Munich or Dortmund. St. Pauli can look forward to the welcome cup prize of around one million euros and is in the quarter-finals for the first time in 16 years – at that time after the legendary “Bokal series” (only opponents with B) only Bayern in the semi-finals was the final stop.
“It’s very bitter. We missed a huge opportunity to win the cup again. That was a bad day,” said BVB captain Marco Reus on ARD.
Erling Haaland, who recently caused a stir with an interview, and the other players found it surprisingly difficult against well-organized Kiezkicker. The real class of BVB, which had recently won 5-1 against SC Freiburg, was almost never developed. “Away, decider, it’s about everything,” coach Marco Rose said before the game and warned against St. Pauli.
The hosts promptly got off to a better start, Amenyido only had to push in after a nice combination from close range. It was not only in this scene that BVB, who had to do without Mahmoud Dahoud (back pain) for a short time, seemed a bit sleepy in the early stages – even if Thorgan Hazard missed the chance to equalize early on (7th). After the shock, BVB gradually gained the upper hand, driven by captain Marco Reus and Jude Bellingham – and created a few chances. But even Haaland aimed too imprecisely (19th).
St. Pauli, without a win in the league in three games, were increasingly concerned with defensive work and tried to set pinpricks on counterattacks. One then actually led to success again – after a sharp cross from Guido Burgstaller and an attempt by Witsel to clear the ball, the ball was suddenly back in the BVB goal. With anger in their stomachs, the BVB stars ran at them again and again, but the hosts’ defensive bulwark held up despite the force of the attack. Haaland’s goal was not enough for the defending champion.