Teams | November 6, 2012 at 03:21 PM
Hertha crash out of DFB Cup
Hertha crash out of DFB Cup
Hertha BSC sensationally exited the 2012/13 DFB Cup at the first round stage on Sunday afternoon.
Hertha BSC sensationally exited the 2012/13 DFB Cup at the first round stage on Sunday afternoon (19.08.12). The capital city side lost 1-2 away to Regionalliga Südwest side Wormatia Worms.
Hertha coach Jos Luhukay made several changes to the team which lost 1-3 in Frankfurt in Bundesliga 2 last weekend: Maik Franz celebrated his comeback after 260 days out following knee ligament surgery. The gritty veteran replaced Czech Republic international Roman Hubnik, who was suspended after being sent off in a quarter final game in the same competition last season. Sandro Wagner, Elias Kachunga and Felix Bastians made their first starts of the new season. First choice keeper Sascha Burchert was sent off in Frankfurt, so his place in the team went to 19 year old Philip Sprint.
Worst possible start
Hertha made the worst possible start to the game. Shortly after kick off, Martin Röser latched onto a quickly-taken free kick and was felled by Sprint inside the Berlin box. The resulting penalty was fired home into the middle of the net by Tim Bauer (3.). It took a while for the visitors to recover from that early blow. On 16 minutes though Sandro Wagner got the ball only five metres out, but he was denied by a superb reflex save by Wormatia keeper Kevin Knödler (16.).
Despite having more possession, Hertha looked harmless as soon as they reached the opposing area. The home side launched a swift counter attack involving Younes Bahssou who found Kevin Wittke, whose shot was punched away by both fists of Sprint (29.). At the other end Wagner aimed just too high with a long distance effort (35.). Hertha won a corner and Bastians found Franz with a semi-bicycle kick. The central defender's shot only found the grateful arms of home keeper Knödler (39.). Hertha were a goal down at the break.
Sandro Wagner pulls Hertha level
Alfredo Morales replaced right back Marcel Ndjeng at the start of the second half. The half was six minutes old as Wagner threatened with a shot from an acute angle which flew agonisingly wide. Sandro Rösner almost deflected a Ramos shot home, but the ball flew wide of the far post (57.). Shortly afterwards Ramos could not believe his luck as he watched his shot cannon off the underside of the Worms crossbar before the rebound was cleared away for a Hertha corner (63.).
That corner was curled in by Änis Ben-Hatira and scrambled over the line by Sandro Wagner (64.). The equalising goal boosted the visitors who began to get forward more. On 68 minutes Ben-Hatira got a free kick on target, but the effort lacked power and was easy pickings for Knödler between the Worms posts. Then an inch-perfect Bastians cross was headed towards goal by Ramos, but once again Knödler was there to stop the ball at the base of his right hand post. The keeper repeated the feat four minutes later, this time the header came from Wagner
Knock out blow near the end
Eight minutes from full time Worms mounted their first attack of the second half and as luck would have it - scored from it, as substitute Romas Dressler toe-poked a ball played into the Hertha box between Morales and Sprint and into the net. Luhukay reacted by bringing on Sami Allagui for central defender Fabian Lustenberger. Hertha tried hard, but a final shot by Peter Niemeyer from the edge of the box flew high and wide of target. Shortly afterwards the final whistle was blown and the tiny stadium erupted into raptures of joy.
Once again Hertha must shelve their dream of playing a DFB Cup final in their own stadium for another year.
The capital city side are in league action again on Friday night (24.08.12, 18.00 CET), as they host Jahn Regensburg at the Olympic stadium on matchday 3.
Match details:
Wormatia Worms: Knödler - Böcher, Rösner, Banouas, Krettek - Abele, Röser - Toch (60. Oppermann), Wittke (84. Steil), Bauer - Bahssou (46. Dressler)
Hertha BSC: Sprint - Ndjeng (46. Morales), Franz, Lustenberger (87. Allagui), Bastians - Ben-Hatira, Ronny, Niemeyer, Ramos - Wagner, Kachunga (81. Rukavytsya)
Goals: 1:0 Bauer (3., pen), 1:1 Wagner (64.), 2:1 Dressler (82.)
Booked: Banouas - Sprint, Bastians, Ben-Hatira
Referee: Norbert Grudzinski (Hamburg)
Venue: EWR-Arena, Worms
Att: 5.000
Hertha coach Jos Luhukay made several changes to the team which lost 1-3 in Frankfurt in Bundesliga 2 last weekend: Maik Franz celebrated his comeback after 260 days out following knee ligament surgery. The gritty veteran replaced Czech Republic international Roman Hubnik, who was suspended after being sent off in a quarter final game in the same competition last season. Sandro Wagner, Elias Kachunga and Felix Bastians made their first starts of the new season. First choice keeper Sascha Burchert was sent off in Frankfurt, so his place in the team went to 19 year old Philip Sprint.
Worst possible start
Hertha made the worst possible start to the game. Shortly after kick off, Martin Röser latched onto a quickly-taken free kick and was felled by Sprint inside the Berlin box. The resulting penalty was fired home into the middle of the net by Tim Bauer (3.). It took a while for the visitors to recover from that early blow. On 16 minutes though Sandro Wagner got the ball only five metres out, but he was denied by a superb reflex save by Wormatia keeper Kevin Knödler (16.).
Despite having more possession, Hertha looked harmless as soon as they reached the opposing area. The home side launched a swift counter attack involving Younes Bahssou who found Kevin Wittke, whose shot was punched away by both fists of Sprint (29.). At the other end Wagner aimed just too high with a long distance effort (35.). Hertha won a corner and Bastians found Franz with a semi-bicycle kick. The central defender's shot only found the grateful arms of home keeper Knödler (39.). Hertha were a goal down at the break.
Sandro Wagner pulls Hertha level
Alfredo Morales replaced right back Marcel Ndjeng at the start of the second half. The half was six minutes old as Wagner threatened with a shot from an acute angle which flew agonisingly wide. Sandro Rösner almost deflected a Ramos shot home, but the ball flew wide of the far post (57.). Shortly afterwards Ramos could not believe his luck as he watched his shot cannon off the underside of the Worms crossbar before the rebound was cleared away for a Hertha corner (63.).
That corner was curled in by Änis Ben-Hatira and scrambled over the line by Sandro Wagner (64.). The equalising goal boosted the visitors who began to get forward more. On 68 minutes Ben-Hatira got a free kick on target, but the effort lacked power and was easy pickings for Knödler between the Worms posts. Then an inch-perfect Bastians cross was headed towards goal by Ramos, but once again Knödler was there to stop the ball at the base of his right hand post. The keeper repeated the feat four minutes later, this time the header came from Wagner
Knock out blow near the end
Eight minutes from full time Worms mounted their first attack of the second half and as luck would have it - scored from it, as substitute Romas Dressler toe-poked a ball played into the Hertha box between Morales and Sprint and into the net. Luhukay reacted by bringing on Sami Allagui for central defender Fabian Lustenberger. Hertha tried hard, but a final shot by Peter Niemeyer from the edge of the box flew high and wide of target. Shortly afterwards the final whistle was blown and the tiny stadium erupted into raptures of joy.
Once again Hertha must shelve their dream of playing a DFB Cup final in their own stadium for another year.
The capital city side are in league action again on Friday night (24.08.12, 18.00 CET), as they host Jahn Regensburg at the Olympic stadium on matchday 3.
Match details:
Wormatia Worms: Knödler - Böcher, Rösner, Banouas, Krettek - Abele, Röser - Toch (60. Oppermann), Wittke (84. Steil), Bauer - Bahssou (46. Dressler)
Hertha BSC: Sprint - Ndjeng (46. Morales), Franz, Lustenberger (87. Allagui), Bastians - Ben-Hatira, Ronny, Niemeyer, Ramos - Wagner, Kachunga (81. Rukavytsya)
Goals: 1:0 Bauer (3., pen), 1:1 Wagner (64.), 2:1 Dressler (82.)
Booked: Banouas - Sprint, Bastians, Ben-Hatira
Referee: Norbert Grudzinski (Hamburg)
Venue: EWR-Arena, Worms
Att: 5.000