Robin Hack and Lukas Ullrich Strike as Ten-Man Gladbach Overcomes Karlsruher
Blood visible from his right eye over his right cheek, Borussia Mönchengladbach Philipp Sander trudged down the tunnel in the 39th minute. He left behind a slippery pitch, a steady downpour, and a nervous Bundesliga side clinging to a single-goal lead in the DFB-Pokal second round.
Borussia Mönchengladbach ultimately defeated Karlsruher SC 2-0 under wet conditions, with goals from Robin Hack and Lukas Ullrich securing the victory. The hosts advanced to the round of last 16 despite playing the entire second half a man down.
Early Breakthrough Undone by Shifting Tempo
The hosts opened the scoring after just seven minutes. Scally delivered a precise cross into the penalty area, allowing Hack to turn the ball home for his first goal of the season.
Karlsruher SC nearly found an immediate equalizer in the ninth minute through Marvin Wanitzek. Shio Fukuda’s pass was slightly behind the KSC captain, forcing him to lay it off for Egloff, whose long-range effort missed the target. Borussia Mönchengladbach initially controlled the tempo before ceding more possession to the visitors around the 25th minute mark.
Referee Florian Lechner Issues Straight Red Card
The momentum shifted momentarily in the 39th minute when Sander was shown a straight red card by referee Florian Lechner following a video assistant referee review. Sander pulled back Fukuda as the Japanese forward spun away from him, denying an obvious scoring opportunity.
Sander left the field with blood visible from his right eye over his right cheek following the challenge. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Gladbach managed to preserve their lead through the remainder of the first half.
Gladbach Secures Victory with Second Half Goal
Any hopes of a KSC comeback were dampened shortly after the restart when Gladbach struck on another quick counterattack in the 49th minute. Hack combined cleanly with Lukas Ullrich, who drove a powerful shot past the Karlsruher defense to make it 2-0.
Karlsruher SC pushed forward persistently for the remainder of the contest but lacked creative solutions in the final third. Their best opportunity arrived in the 77th minute from a corner kick, but a header by Eichinger sailed just over the crossbar. The win marks another progression past Karlsruher in the tournament for Gladbach, echoing their previous season’s second-round meeting.
Leopold Querfeld and Union Berlin Suffer Heavy Defeat
While Gladbach advanced, Leopold Querfeld endured a difficult evening as 1. FC Köln defeated Union Berlin 5-0 in their DFB-Pokal fixture. Following a balanced opening quarter, the home side seized control of the match, opening the scoring through a goal by El Mala before halftime in the 32nd minute.
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