Title dreams in the DFB Cup
After the end of FC Bayern: The eternal second, third, fourth squint on the pot
Disillusionment on Thursday morning in Munich after missing the round of 16 in the DFB Cup. Second division soccer team Holstein Kiel achieved a sensation against the record champions. In the penalty shootout, the North Germans defeated the triple winner 6-5. As a result, the people of Munich left Kieler Platz on Wednesday evening with their heads hanging. For the first time since 1992 Bayern did not make it to the last sixteen. The fact that the players wore their new retro jersey for the first time, based on the seasons 91-93, was more of a coincidence and of secondary importance for the fans. Much worse: Your team will not be able to defend last year’s triple with three trophies in one season. “Yes, after the 1-0 I thought, well, that’s a sure thing against Kiel. I was happy, I watched a bit on the side. But it is good that it will end like this, I did not expect that. It annoys me, of course , DFB-Pokal, that’s a nice cup that you like to watch. But, shit, I would say. ” “Bayern doesn’t really want to admit it. But I do believe that in the back of the player’s mind the thought was: We’re the big Bayern, we’re playing against a small Kiel. And yes, they might have been underestimated a little bit. And I also think the last few games have shown that things are going a little in that direction. ” “I don’t think anyone expected that Bayern would actually be eliminated by Kiel. And there is another difference whether Bayern lose a game or actually fly out of the cup. And that in the second round, I believe for the first time so early in 20 years. Of course that is a bitter blow. ” After 120 minutes against courageous Kielers, it was 2-2. In the subsequent penalty shootout, the Kielers converted all five shots from the point, Bayern’s substitute player Marc Roca failed in the fifth Munich penalty against Kiel’s goalkeeper Ioannis Gelios. An exhausting game for Bayern. On Sunday, they have to defend the league lead in the Bundesliga – at home against SC Freiburg. Second in the table, RB Leipzig, will have to win in Wolfsburg to stay on Bayern’s heels.
This is the current situation in German football: If FC Bayern surprisingly fails, others can finally hope for a title. But some hopes are likely to die again in the second round of the cup.
For the title-hungry pursuers, the DFB Cup disgrace from triple winner FC Bayern is both an opportunity and a warning. The completely surprising Munich penalty knockout in the snowstorm at the second division soccer team Holstein Kiel offers Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Co. a huge opportunity to finally satisfy their longing for a title this May, which has grown for years. But Bayern’s first second-round exit since 2000/2001 also showed how quickly a supposedly compulsory task can become a stumbling block for all title dreams in the tightly packed Corona season.
This Tuesday and Wednesday the round of 16 are on the program. And while Robert Lewandowski and his colleagues have to make themselves comfortable in front of the television and have a few days to catch their breath shortly before the Club World Cup, Dortmund, Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen’s Werkself, which recently stumbled in the Bundesliga, slip into their new roles as Cup favorites. “The fact that Bayern is no longer there certainly doesn’t make it any more difficult. But now many clubs see their chance,” said Leipzig international Lukas Klostermann in the MDR: “You can’t afford to slip up.”
FC Bayern-Jäger: Almost all of them have easy lots
In addition to the increased chances for the title due to the Bayern-Aus, the trio also has the supposed luck of the draw, which gave all three clubs feasible round of 16 tasks. The 2020 finalist Leverkusen will make a guest appearance on Tuesday (6.30 p.m. / Sky) at the last remaining fourth division club Rot-Weiss Essen. Dortmund welcomes second division SC Paderborn on Tuesday (8.45 p.m. / ARD and Sky). And for Leipzig, second in the table, the home game against second division VfL Bochum on Wednesday (6.30 p.m. / Sky) is a must.
The fact that the long-term winners from Munich fail to reach the cup semi-finals for the first time since 2009 increases not only the ambitions of the hunters who are so unsuccessful in the league, but also the media presence. Because usually the Bayern game is always set on free TV, this time the ARD shows Dortmund against Paderborn (8.45 p.m.) on Tuesday and the only Bundesliga game of the round on Wednesday, VfB Stuttgart against Borussia Mönchengladbach (8.45 p.m.).
“A top game on Wednesday evening, plus live on TV, in front of the masses, no pay TV. This is a great competition. This is our Champions League. We want to invest everything and get ahead,” said Stuttgart’s sports director Sven Mislintat, commenting on the situation.
Gladbach also sees his chance
The sporting excitement in football Germany should definitely benefit from the new constellation – especially since Bayern are rushing towards their ninth title in the Bundesliga with a seven-point lead. In the cup there were two titles in a row for the Munich team under Hansi Flick and predecessor Niko Kovac, before that Eintracht Frankfurt (2018) and Dortmund (2017) celebrated one of the rare triumphs. Both clubs defeated the dominating Munich team in the respective season.
This sporting master’s examination has taken a second division team from the top clubs this season. For this reason, Borussia Mönchengladbach and captain Lars Stindl are even more hoping to reach the finals for the first time since 1995 than in previous years. “I would like to fulfill my dream of Berlin, and especially this year, since Bayern are out, there is a great opportunity. We will do everything we can to use it,” said Stindl of the “Rheinische Post” in front of the difficult task in Stuttgart. In the 1995 final, the foals also won their last title to date, and in 2017 Borussia failed on penalties in the semifinals to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Without Bayern there is no clear favorite
A look at the bookmakers also shows how unusually open the battle for the cup win this season is. If you can’t make too much money with a title tip on FC Bayern, no clear favorite emerges after Munich’s out. Even for a cup winner tip Dortmund or Leipzig, more than three times the stake is returned if it is successful.
