DFB Cup: Kiel eliminates Hoffenheim and Leverkusen beats Nürnberg

Holstein Kiel secured a spot in the DFB-Pokal round of the last 16 after defeating TSG Hoffenheim 4–3 on penalties following a 1–1 draw after extra time. Goalkeeper Lio Rothenbach stopped the decisive penalty kick from Mats Rots to seal the upset for the second-division side against their Bundesliga opponents at the tournament stage.

Rothenbach Saves Key Penalty to Eliminate Hoffenheim

The match at the Holstein stadium featured a low-scoring, hard-fought contest where Adam Hlozek put Hoffenheim ahead in the 11th minute. Adrian Kapralik equalized for the northern hosts in the 23rd minute. Neither side broke the deadlock through the remainder of regulation or the extra 30 minutes, pushing the second-round tie to a penalty shootout where Kiel prevailed 4–3.

Deniz Undav Secures Late Victory for Stuttgart Against Paderborn

VfB Stuttgart avoided an early tournament exit by defeating SC Paderborn 1–0 through a 90th-minute goal from Deniz Undav. Paderborn played with ten men from the 37th minute onward after Laurin Curda received a red card for a rough foul. Despite struggling as the 15th-place side in the Bundesliga standings, Stuttgart advanced alongside their continued campaigns in Europe.

Leverkusen Overcomes Two-Goal Deficit Against Nürnberg

Bayer Leverkusen overturned a 0:2 deficit to defeat 1. FC Nürnberg 5–2. Nürnberg, managed by Miroslav Klose, built an early lead through goals from Rafael Lubach in the 13th minute and Sigurd Haugen in the 30th minute. Edmond Tapsoba scored twice either side of halftime to level the match, before Patrik Schick converted a penalty in the 70th minute, Jonas Hofmann added another in the 78th minute, and Lucas Vázquez sealed the win in the 89th minute.

Kaiserslautern Deepens Crisis at Hannover 96

Hannover 96 extended its winless streak under head coach Sandro Wagner with a defeat against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Milos Lukovic opened the scoring in the 14th minute and Ivan Prtajin added a second in the 86th minute to capitalize on Kaiserslautern’s limited chances in front of 35,800 spectators. Wagner has now lost three of his first four matches since taking charge in September.

Dynamo Dresden Knocks Out Schalke 04

FC Schalke 04 exited the DFB-Pokal in the second round following a 2–0 defeat away to second-division club Dynamo Dresden. Patrice Covic scored in the 54th minute and Christoph Daferner secured the victory in the 88th minute. The result leaves the five-time tournament winners without an appearance in the round of 16 for six years, extending Schalke’s winless run across all competitions to five matches.

“Das tut natürlich weh. Wir wollten eine Runde weiterkommen, das haben wir nicht geschafft. Deswegen sind wir erst mal sehr enttäuscht. Auch zu Recht,” said Schalke goalkeeper Loris Karius to Sky, calling for a response ahead of their upcoming Bundesliga fixture against RB Leipzig. “Wir spielen erste Bundesliga. Wir sind Schalke 04. Wir wollen uns nicht verstecken.”

Freiburg Edges Wolfsburg in Five-Goal Thriller

SC Freiburg advanced to the round of 16 with a 3–2 win over VfL Wolfsburg. Igor Matanovic opened the scoring in the 6th minute and Keisuke Goto scored twice, including a stoppage-time winner in the 92nd minute, to overcome two goals from Wolfsburg’s Kento Shiogai.

More on this story: DFB-Pokal: Schalke and Hoffenheim suffer shock second-round exits against 2. Bundesliga teams · Eintracht Frankfurt faces Hamburger SV in DFB-Pokal second round

More on Hoffenheim: Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim win as SC Freiburg lose to Monaco · Hoffenheim Ends Leverkusen Streak With 1,000th Bundesliga Goal · Hoffenheim beat Leverkusen 3-0 as Prass sees red after celebration