DFB-Pokal roundup: Drama and shocks aplenty in the first round

The new season in Germany kicked off last weekend with the first round of the DFB-Pokal. And it is fair to say that it lived up to the billing. 

The first round of the DFB-Pokal featured plenty of dramatic moments, thrilling matches and stunning results. While defending champions Borussia Dortmund and fellow contenders RB Leipzig enjoyed big wins, a number of Bundesliga teams struggled, and a few even fell at the first hurdle.

Here is a roundup of how the Bundesliga teams fared in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.

Borussia Dortmund cruised to a 3-0 win over SV Wehen Wiesbaden on Saturday in Marco Rose’s first competitive game in charge of the club. Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick to give last season’s DFB-Pokal winners the perfect start to their season.

Last season’s runners-up RB Leipzig also earned a dominant win. They beat second division side SV Sandhausen 4-0. Borussia Mönchengladbach squeaked past 1. FC Kaiserslautern in Adi Hütter’s first game in charge, with Lars Stindl scoring the only goal of the game.

Hütter’s former club Eintracht Frankfurt weren’t as lucky though, as they were dumped out of the DFB-Pokal after suffering a 2-0 defeat to third division side SV Waldhof Mannheim 07.

There was plenty of controversy in Münster, as Wolfsburg defeated fourth division outfit SC Preußen Münster 3-1 after extra time. However, Wolfsburg could still be eliminated from the competition after head coach Mark van Bommel used six substitutions in the game instead of the allotted five. Preußen Münster have lodged an appeal, and it will be interesting to see if it is successful.

Bayer Leverkusen enjoyed a 3-0 win over 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig, with Kerem Demirbay scoring a brace. While VfB Stuttgart earned the biggest win of the round, beating Berliner FC Dynamo 6-0.

Union Berlin also began their campaign with a win, beating SV Türkgücü-Ataspor 1-0. TSG Hoffenheim narrowly avoided an upset, as they needed extra time to beat Viktoria Köln 3-2. Hertha Berlin were nearly taken to extra time by SV Meppen. But Davie Selke scored a 91st minute winner to help his side qualify for the second round.

Mainz 05 and FC Köln both needed penalty shootouts to see off the challenge of SV Elversberg and FC Carl Zeiss Jena respectively. But Bundesliga new boys SpVgg Greuther Fürth experienced agony, as they were eliminated by Regionalliga side SV Babelsberg on penalties after the two teams played out a 2-2 draw.

Arminia Bielefeld scored an impressive six goals, beating Bayreuth 6-3. There were plenty of goals in Greifswald as well, as Augsburg came from behind to earn a 4-2 win.

SC Freiburg beat Würzburger Kickers 1-0 to seal their progress into the next round. While last season’s 2. Bundesliga champions VfL Bochum needed extra time to beat Regionalliga side Wuppertaler SV.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich’s tie against Bremer SV was postponed after members of the fifth division side tested positive for COVID-19. The game will now be played later this month.