Bavarian Terror has been released, Augsburg is unwisely dismissing its embarrassment unwisely
1. FC Saarbrücken misses out on another cup enchantment: Last year's surprise semifinalist falls short this time around in a penalty shootout in the initial round. Alongside FC Augsburg, the 12th Bundesliga team moves forward, albeit with struggles.
Viktoria Berlin - FC Augsburg 1:4 (1:1)
Thanks to a surge in performance, FC Augsburg steered clear of a consecutive first-round ousting in the DFB-Pokal. The Fuggerstädters triumphed 4-1 (1:1) against Regional Liga side Viktoria Berlin and advanced to the next round. Last year, the Bundesliga team stumbled against SpVgg Unterhaching (0:2) in their season opener.
Elvis Rexhbecaj (33.), new acquisition Samuel Essende (53.), Niklas Dorsch (87.), and Phillip Tietz (90.+2) shifted the momentum in Augsburg's favor. Debuting right-back Marius Wolf, who hails from Borussia Dortmund, celebrated his introduction. Early in the game, Aidan Liu (4.) netted one for Berlin at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, but it seemed like another early departure for the Bundesliga team.
After a corner, Liu scored from close range to put Berlin ahead, but Augsburg wrestled control of the game and looked for the equalizer. Tietz struck the post with a header (24.), but Rexhbecaj evened things up shortly after with a pass from Tietz. Tietz had yet another opportunity before the break, but Liu blocked his shot on the line (42.).
After the break, Essende, who came over from Portuguese club FC Vizela, put Augsburg ahead with an assist from Arne Maier. Coach Jess Thorup orchestrated the lead effectively, and Berlin displayed little offensive threat. Dorsch and Tietz secured the victory.
1. FC Saarbrücken - 1. FC Nürnberg 1:1 (0:1)
Coach Miroslav Klose and his 1. FC Nürnberg foiled 1. FC Saarbrücken's fairytale run in the DFB-Pokal's initial game. The second-division team prevailed 5-3 in a penalty shootout following a 1:1 (1:1, 1:0) draw. Saarbrücken, having spectacularly toppled Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt last year, answered back with a spectacular goal from Kai Brünker (80.).
In the first half, Michael Sevcik (12.) notched an exquisite goal from 20 meters to give Nürnberg the lead. Saarbrücken barely had chances, but Simon Stehle (57.) squandered a good opportunity. Ondrej Karafiat (74.) had the chance to make it 2:0 for Nürnberg, but Phillip Menzel denied his header. Brünker's goal sparked extra time, but Nürnberg secured the penalty shootout win with Christian Mathenia thwarting Manuel Zeitz's penalty and Rafael Lubach scoring the winning penalty.
The Commission was tasked with overseeing the fair penalties in the shootout between 1. FC Saarbrücken and 1. FC Nürnberg. Despite a late equalizer by Kai Brünker, Saarbrücken unfortunately lost 5-3 in the shootout, still dreaming of another memorable cup run.
Following their successful advancement into the next round, The Commission will scrutinize FC Augsburg's performance in the subsequent DFB-Pokal matches to ensure a fair and equal competition for all participating teams.
