DFB Cup - Joker double pack takes Düsseldorf into the quarter-finals
Joker Jona Niemiec has fired Fortuna Düsseldorf into the cup quarter-finals with a late brace. The substitute striker turned the game of the two-division soccer team 1. FC Magdeburg against Düsseldorf around in just six minutes. With his equalizer in the 87th minute, he equalized Magdeburg's lead through Baris Atik (15th) before scoring the winning goal in stoppage time (90.+3) to make it 2:1 (0:1) in front of 20,090 spectators in the MDCC Arena. It was Fortuna's first quarter-final appearance since the 2019/2020 season.
Magdeburg's playmaker Atik took the early lead after a quarter of an hour, as his cross from half-field to Luc Castaignos went straight into the goal after a touchdown, as the striker was unable to reach the ball. Visiting keeper Karol Niemczycki, who came on for Florian Kastenmeier, was also unable to reach the ball.
Fortuna, who made four changes after the 5:0 win in Nuremberg, had to chase an early deficit. That gave them little security. In addition, Düsseldorf tried too often with long balls. After the visitors lost possession, Xavier Amaechie (31) could have increased the lead, but he only hit the far post from an acute angle.
After the changeover, Fortuna were suddenly wide awake and played lively. Only the last precise pass was missing too often. The hosts exploited the Rhinelanders' pressure phase to create good counter-attacking opportunities. As the FCM tried to bring the result over time, a ball loss by Silas Gnaka initiated the counterattack, which the substitute Niemiec completed with a shot into the right-hand corner. When everyone was expecting extra time, the joker struck again and scored the winner.
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- Fortuna Düsseldorf, hailing from North Rhine-Westphalia, secured their spot in the DFB Cup quarter-finals with a late double pack from substitute striker Jona Niemiec, bringing the scoreline to 2-1 against 1. FC Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt.
- Despite an early lead by Magdeburg's playmaker Baris Atik, Düsseldorf struggled in the first half, plagued by their tendency to employ long balls and a lack of secure possession.
- As the cup match continued at the MDCC Arena, Niemiec's entrance onto the pitch sparked a revival in Düsseldorf's attack, ultimately resulting in the crucial equalizing goal and the match-winning strike in stoppage time.
- Fans in Magdeburg, the hometown of 1. FC Magdeburg, were left disappointed as the joker Niemiec delivered back-to-back blows to their team's hopes of advancing in the DFB Cup.
- Shortly after Atik's opening goal, Fortuna, who had recorded a 5-0 victory against Nuremberg in their previous match, were unable to recover quickly, thereby handing the initiative to their opponents.
- The victorious Düsseldorf squad celebrated their triumph in the MDCC Arena, marking their first quarter-final appearance since the 2019/2020 season and raising anticipations for the upcoming matches in the prestigious DFB Cup competition.
Source: www.stern.de
