In the opening round of the DFB-Pokal, Werder Bremen secured a 3-0 victory against lower-tier side Lüneburger SK Hansa, highlighted by a scoring return from veteran striker Niclas Füllkrug, according to match reports. Elsewhere in the cup competition, new managers made successful debuts, while lower-division clubs engineered notable upsets across German stadiums.
Füllkrug Marks Bremen Return with Penalty Goal
Niclas Füllkrug crowned his competitive comeback for Werder Bremen by converting a 53rd-minute penalty kick to double his side’s lead against Oberliga club Lüneburger SK Hansa. The 33-year-old forward struck the ball flat into the left corner before being substituted shortly afterward as the new number 10 of the Bundesliga club.
Jens Stage and Ludovit Reis added the remaining goals for Bremen at Hamburg’s Millerntor-Stadion, wrapping up a comfortable 3-0 win. Füllkrug’s return anchors a rejuvenated attack as Bremen advances past the first hurdle of domestic cup play.
Managerial Debuts Bring Success for Leverkusen and Leipzig
Carles Martínez enjoyed a winning start as the new head coach of Bayer Leverkusen, guiding his team to a 4-0 victory away against third-tier club SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Patrik Schick, Lucas Vázquez, Nathan Tella, and Christian Kofane supplied the goals in the Wiesbaden arena to secure a smooth passage into the second round.
Similarly, Martín Demichelis oversaw a 6-0 win in his first competitive match directing RB Leipzig against fourth-tier side Eintracht Trier at the Moselstadion. Brajan Gruda opened the scoring after roughly 120 seconds, with Willi Orban, Ridle Baku, Conrad Harder, Antonio Nusa, and Ezechiel Banuzi rounding out the dominant scoreline for the favorites.
Upsets and Extra-Time Dramas Test Lower-League Resilience
Meanwhile, Bundesliga newcomer SV Elversberg required a late rescue act from debutant Francis Onyeka, whose two late goals in Duisburg erased a deficit and sealed a 3-1 win over MSV Duisburg after Luca Schnellbacher and Tyger Lobinger had traded earlier goals.
Other traditional clubs needed the nerve-wracking lottery of penalty shootouts to survive. Hertha BSC edged 1. FC Nürnberg advanced 5-4 on penalties away against Viktoria Köln following another 1-1 stalemate.
Bundesliga Sides Navigate Tricky Lower-Tier Ties
TSG Hoffenheim booked their place in the next round with a straightforward 4-0 victory at fourth-tier Erzgebirge Aue, powered by a double from Wolfsburg arrival Patrick Wimmer alongside tallies from Wouter Burger and Max Moerstedt. Bundesliga newcomers Energie Cottbus thanks to late goals from Anton Kade and Kristijan Jakic in a 2-0 win that left coach Manuel Baum acknowledging a difficult performance ahead of the league start.
Holstein Kiel progressed without trouble by defeating TSV 1860 München 2-0, and Hannover 96 recorded the most lopsided result of the round, overwhelming fifth-tier Bremen-Ligist SV Hemelingen 9-1 at the Weserstadion. Across various venues, supporters used banners to protest the video assistant referee system, displaying messages calling for the permanent abolition of the VAR, which is not deployed during the opening round of the DFB-Pokal.
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