Hamburg and Nuremberg crash out, Hannover progress
Munich - Sunday was a day of distinctly mixed fortunes for the Bundesliga clubs in the opening round of the DFB Cup. Hannover 96 cruised to an emphatic win in Nöttingen, but the big shocks came in Havelse and Karlsruhe, where 1. FC Nuremberg and Hamburger SV were respectively dumped out of the competition. In the early evening kick-off, freshy -promoted Fortuna Düsseldorf ensured their place in Round 2 thanks to a solid win at Wacker Burghausen.
SV Wacker Burghausen 0-1 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Fortuna Düsseldorf were rewarded for a disciplined display as they dug out a hard-fought win over League 3 outfit Wacker Burghausen.
Benefitting from the cooler evening temperatures, both sides began the game with plenty of energy. Fortuna created the first chance of the game when Axel Bellinghausen failed to get a shot in when well-placed, while Sahr Senesie was a threat for the home side and had a decent effort saved by Fabian Giefer.
Senesie then came even closer when he struck a shot against the post just after the break, before the game descended into a rather scrappy affair with players from both sides committing a string of petty fouls. It eventually took until the final quarter of the match for the away side's quality to shine through. Stefan Reisinger, playing against his former club, made an intelligent run and glanced home Johannes van den Bergh's inviting centre to send Norbert Meier's team through.
TSV Havelse 3-2 (a.e.t) 1. FC Nuremberg
1. FC Nuremberg's trip to Havelse provided another huge shock in the first round as they were beaten in extra time by fourth-flight TSV Havelse.
The hosts got off to an encouraging start and it was against the run of play that Der Club took the lead, Alexander Esswein continuing his scoring streak from last season by placing a shot into the corner. Havelse didn't let their heads drop however and hauled themselves level just six minutes later, as some passive defending allowed Christoph Beismann to glance in.
Beismann's energy radiated through the rest of his team and, after missing a good opportunity, he then helped Havelse sensationally take the lead, beginning a move which Patrick Posipal finished off clinically. Nuremberg looked short on idea, but substitute Robert Mak livened up proceedings with an impressive finish with ten minutes to go.
Even as the game entered extra time it was Havelse that looked the fresher and they beat the Nuremberg defence for a third time when Marc Vucinovic slotted home a rebound. In a frenetic final few minutes, Esswein flashed a shot over and Sebastian Polter had a penalty appeal turned down as the 2007 winners pushed desperately for an equaliser. Havelse remained stoic in defence to the last, however, and saw out a famous win to spark wild celebrations among their supporters.
Karslruher SC 4-2 Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV became the third Bundesliga side to bow out of this season's DFB Cup as they were outfought by a courageous Karlsruher SC team, who had to come from behind to progress.
Thorsten Fink's visitors started well, with the dangerous Marcel Jansen seeing plenty of the ball, and it was he who provided the game's first goal, crossing from the left for Marcus Berg to poke home. Karlsruhe, freshly demoted to League 3, came storming back however and found a deserved equaliser when Koen van der Biezen headed in from close range.
Maximilian Beister skipped through to put HSV 2-1 up before the break, but the second period belonged to the home side. Selcuk Alibaz curled in a superb free-kick to level the scores again, before Rene Adler's error allowed Martin Stoll to put them in front. The confidence was flowing through the home side and when Elia Soriano found space in the box the Italian forward was able to wrap up the win with a neat finish.
FC Nöttingen 1-6 Hannover 96
Sergio Pinto and Jan Schlaudraff each netted a brace as Hannover 96 cruised to a comfortable victory at Nöttingen.
Nöttingen were set up to frustrate their Bundesliga opponents and they kept the Reds at bay well during the opening exchanges. Mirko Slomka's side made the breakthrough just before the half-hour mark when Sergio da Silva Pinto curled an unstoppable shot into the top corner. The Portuguese midfielder then made it 2-0, slotting into the near post after a one-two with Jan Schlaudraff.
The second period was a much more open affair, with Leon Andreasen and Schlaudraff adding two more for Hannover, either side of a Leutrim Neziraj strike. Substitute Konstantin Rausch stole in to open his account for the season, before Schlaudraff crowned an excellent display with a sixth.
Other Results
Wormatia Worms 2-1 Hertha BSC Berlin
FC Hennef 05 0-6 1860 Munich
Hansa Rostock 1-3 1. FC Kaiserslautern
Bernie Reeves
http://www.bundesliga.com/en/tournaments/news/2012/0000219658.php
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