Out of the DFB Cup: Dortmund fails in the round of 16 at St. Pauli

Dhe defending champion is out! Borussia Dortmund had to say goodbye to the second division leaders FC St. Pauli in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup after a poor performance for long stretches. Thanks to a strong performance on Tuesday evening, the Hamburg team deservedly won 2-1 (2-0) against BVB coached by Marco Rose, who is well behind FC Bayern, who have already been eliminated in the cup, in second place in the Bundesliga.

In front of 2,000 fans in the Millerntor Stadium, Etienne Amenyido (4th minute) and Dortmund’s Axel Witsel (40th/own goal) scored for the Kiezclub, for which the next highlight in the city derby at HSV in the second division is on Friday. The goal from star striker Erling Haaland (58th penalty) was not enough for BVB – in the final phase, Rose’s team fought back against defeat, but were unsuccessful.

“A completely bad day from us, we woke up too late,” complained Dortmund captain Marco Reus on ARD. “St. Pauli did well. Now we’re not there anymore. We have to let that sink in now. In any case, we missed a huge opportunity to win the cup again.” BVB was warned. “Away, decider, it’s about everything,” coach Rose said before the game. After that he was served.

In the first round of 16 participation in 16 years, St. Pauli coach Timo Schultz also offered up goal against the favored Bundesliga runners-up Dennis Smarsch, as expected. The actual reservist behind Nikola Vasilj had impressed in the first two rounds against Magdeburg and Dresden (3:2 each) and should “also shine against BVB”, as Schultz had said before the game.

But first Amenyido shone, who was on the spot after Marcel Hartel’s template and scored early. The guests, who switched to three positions compared to the convincing 5:1 win over Freiburg, found their way into the game slowly. Smarsch briefly came into focus when he cleared the free Thorgan Hazard (7th) and Marco Reus (18th).

BVB found it increasingly difficult against well defending Hanseatic Leagues. Goal scorer Haaland hardly appeared in the first half except for a shot over the goal (19th). A counterattack by Guido Burgstaller before the break made it 2-0 when Dortmund’s Witsel failed in a rescue attempt – the own goal was loudly celebrated by the Hamburg fans in the stadium.

After the change, the Dortmunders partially constricted the Kiezkicker in their half. But they not only defended well, they also remained dangerous: Burgstaller (54th/55th) just missed twice. An unfortunate handball by Jakov Medic then brought BVB back into play according to video evidence. Haaland didn’t miss the penalty opportunity and immediately got the ball out of the goal net for the remaining minutes to catch up.

Rose tried to further strengthen the offensive with the addition of Donyell Malen for the hapless Hazard (66). Raphael Guerreiro missed a shot when he had a good chance (67th). Dortmund now pressed on the 2:2. However, St. Pauli remained dangerous on the counterattack.

“It was a difficult game, but we played to make it happen with the win,” said early goalscorer Amenyido. “We deserve it and can enjoy the evening, but tomorrow the preparation for Friday begins. Then there is another difficult game that we want to win.”