DFB Cup - Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt are knocked out - Leverkusen win convincingly
Borussia Dortmund's probably best chance of winning the title this season is gone. BVB were eliminated in the last 16 of the DFB Cup after a deserved 2-0 (0-0) defeat at the surprisingly strong VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday. Top striker Serhou Guirassy (54th minute) and substitute Silas (77th) scored in front of 54,200 spectators for the Swabians, who celebrated their fourth competitive win in a row and will take plenty of confidence into their upcoming league clash with Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
Dortmund, who have been disappointing for long stretches and are already ten points behind leaders Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, will be fighting for important points in the battle for the Champions League places against RB Leipzig on Saturday.
1. FC Saarbrücken - Eintracht Frankfurt
Favourite shocker 1. FC Saarbrücken has landed the next cup coup and, after record champions Bayern Munich, also knocked last year's finalists Eintracht Frankfurt out of the competition. The third-division club beat the Conference League side 2:0 (0:0) in the round of 16 and reached the quarter-finals for the ninth time in the club's history.
In front of 15,903 spectators in the sold-out Ludwigsparkstadion, Kai Brünker in the 64th minute and Luca Kerber (78th) scored the goals for the underdogs, who will receive a bonus of around 1.7 million euros for advancing. This means that the Saarlanders have already earned more than three million euros in the current competition. The disappointing Eintracht lost not only the game but also Noel Futkeu, who was shown the red card after an assault (83').
Bayer 04 Leverkusen - SC Paderborn
The record-breaking Bayer Leverkusen team have reached the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup and go into the rest of the competition as favorites. The Bundesliga leaders only had trouble in the meantime in their 3:1 (2:0) win over brave second division runners-up SC Paderborn in the round of 16. Following the elimination of record winners FC Bayern Munich and defending champions RB Leipzig, Bayer are now considered to have the best chance of winning the title. After 21 competitive matches this season, the Werkself are still unbeaten with 19 wins.
The big downer for Leverkusen was the loss of international Wirtz through injury, who had to leave the pitch after being kicked on the heel (44th minute). Wirtz was able to make an appearance afterwards, but was led into the dressing room with his face contorted in pain and supported by two coaches. Bayer initially wrote that the 20-year-old had received a "painful blow to his ankle".
The goals for Bayer were scored by Victor Boniface (12') with his 14th competitive goal since his transfer in the summer, the Argentinian world champion Exequiel Palacios (29') and Patrik Schick twelve minutes after his substitution (87'). Paderborn, who had won 3-1 at SC Freiburg in the previous round and whose coach Lukas Kwasniok had led 1. FC Saarbrücken into the semi-finals as the first fourth-division team in 2020, had reduced the deficit through Sebastian Klaas (83'). However, it was not enough for the third quarter-final appearance in the club's history after 2018 and 2019.
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- In the Bundesliga, Leverkusen remains unbeaten with 19 wins, maintaining their lead over Dortmund, who are struggling in the Champions League spots.
- bourssasports.com reported that Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz was injured during the DFB Cup match against SC Paderborn, leaving a concerns for the soccer league's champions-hopefuls.
- After Dortmund's elimination from the DFB Cup, Bayer Leverkusen emerged as one of the strongest contenders to win the title, with a significant lead over their fellow Bundesliga team, RB Leipzig.
- Saarbrücken, a third-division club, celebrated their ninth quarter-finals appearance in the club's history after knocking out Eintracht Frankfurt in the round of 16.
- As the fourth-division team that reached the semi-finals in 2020, SC Paderborn, despite losing to Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB Cup, was able to make a remarkable appearance in the quarter-finals.
- The DFB Cup brought shocking results, including Saarbrücken's upset victory against last year's finalists Eintracht Frankfurt and the elimination of record champions Bayern Munich and defending champions RB Leipzig.
- Leverkusen's 20-year-old star player Wirtz was hurt during the round of 16 match against SC Paderborn, leading to concerns about his availability for future games, particularly in the compact soccer league schedule.
- Munich, despite being eliminated from the DFB Cup, will attentively follow the course of the competition, hoping for a good performance from their fiercest rivals Bayer Leverkusen, who are considered as potential title winners.
- Fans in Saarbrücken celebrated their team's DFB Cup victory with great enthusiasm, looking forward to a successful upcoming league match against Leverkusen, the current Bundesliga leaders.
- Dortmund faces RB Leipzig in an important league clash on Saturday, aiming to recover from the elimination in the DFB Cup and regain their position in the Champions League places, while Leverkusen prepares for the quarter-finals, aiming to bring the DFB Cup trophy to Leverkusen this year.
Source: www.stern.de
