Berlin, Sep 13 (IANS) Leipzig eased 3-0 past second division outfit Nuremberg thanks to the goals from Amadou Haidara, Yussuf Poulsen and Hwang Hee-chan, whereas Eintracht Frankfurt needed two second-half goals to overpower resilient third division side 1860 Munich 2-1 in the opening round of the German Cup.
The “Bulls” caught a perfect start on the road on Saturday as they marked the opener with fortunate assistance from goalkeeper Christian Mathenia, whose misplaced pass allowed Haidara to make it 1-0 with just three minutes played, according to Xinhua news agency.
Nuremberg were unable to gain a foothold in the clash while the visitors from Leipzig dominated possession and kept Mathenia busy. However, neither Dani Olmo nor Christopher Nkunku extended the lead despite promising chances.
After the restart, Leipzig retreated with the narrow lead while Nuremberg showed absolutely no danger in front of the target.
As the match progressed Leipzig increased the pressure and came close through Hwang and Lukas Klostermann.
The visitors’ efforts eventually paid off with 67 minutes gone as Hwang had sufficient space on the wing and squared to Poulsen, who made no mistake to double the lead with a well-placed shot into the top left corner.
Nuremberg remained harmless and had to swallow a third goal as Hwang rounded off his powerful performance by scoring his maiden goal for Leipzig in the dying minutes of the game.
The progression into the next round was a stiff piece of work for Eintracht Frankfurt, who sewed up a hard earned 2-1 victory over third division club 1860 Munich.
The hosts assumed control from the kick off and surprised top flight Frankfurt with an offensively-minded strategy.
Hence, 1860 came by chances in the early stages as veteran Sascha Molders pulled wide from inside the box in the sixth minute before defender Martin Hinteregger had to tackle Molders to deny another chance eight minutes later.
The “Eagles” got their first effort on target 18 minutes into the clash when Dominik Kohr rattled the woodwork with a long-range hammer.
However, Molders remained in the thick of things and headed onto the crossbar moments later.
Even after the half time, Molders continued to keep Frankfurt’s defence busy but still Nuremberg failed to turn their chances into a tangible reward.
Frankfurt were more clinical with their chances and punished courageous Nuremberg as Bas Dost’s volley assist allowed Andre Silva to nod home the opener six minutes into the second half.
Adi Hutter’s men gained momentum and sealed the deal five minutes later after Silva set up for Dost, who netted the 2-0 lead with a header from close range.
Nuremberg responded well but Eintracht’s defence neutralized all attacks within the midfield. However, the visitors should have tripled the lead but Daichi Kamada wasted a golden chance in the 71st minute.
Meanwhile, Nuremberg were able to reduce the arrears in the closing stages when Phillipp Steinhart converted a penalty in the 79th minute.
Nuremberg threw every man up front but Eintracht Frankfurt protected their lead to the end to secure their berth in the second round.
Elsewhere, relentless Borussia Monchengladbach whitewashed lower league side FC Oberneuland 8-0. Cologne crushed VSG Altglienicke 6-0 while Augsburg showed no mercy following a 7-0 victory over Eintracht Celle, and Wolfsburg moved past Union Furstenwalde 4-1.
–IANS
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