Augsburg survive DFB-Pokal scare; Darmstadt advance to second round
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(L-R) Augsburg's Turkish midfielder Halil Altintop, Augsburg's midfielder Tobias Werner, Augsburg's Serbian striker Tim Matavz and Augsburg's midfielder Alexander Esswein celebrate after the second goal during a friendly football match between German first division Bundesliga team FC Augsburg and French first league football team FC Toulouse in Augsburg, southern Germany, on August 1, 2015. AFP PHOTO / CHRISTOF STACHE (Photo credit should read CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
Bundesliga side FC Augsburg needed 120 minutes of action to see off fourth-tier Elversberg 3-1 in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Friday night.
The lower league side led for 29 minutes thanks to Kevin Maek's 52nd minute strike. But Augsburg head coach Markus Weinzierl turned the match with a double change to salvage their place in the second round.
Raul Bobadilla scored to take the match to extra-time before Sascha Molders netted in the 101st minute. Molders turned provider for Tobias Werner, the Augsburg winner wrapping up the win for the Bavarians who will compete in the UEFA Europa League this season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Elversberg looked threatening on the counter-attack throughout, coached by former Nurnberg boss and Bayern Munich player Michael Wiesinger. The home side found the net in the 52nd minute to the delight of the locals with central defender Maek staying forward to eventually head home from inside the six-yard box.
Wieinzierl turned to his bench for the extra firepower not long after with Bobadilla and Molders forcing the Bavarians into a tactical change. With Augsburg turning up the heat, the fourth-tier side couldn't hold out much longer. Augsburg equalized on 83 minutes to send the tie to extra-time. Argentine striker Bobadilla reacted quickest inside the penalty box, firing home from close range.
Elversberg had Markus Obernosterer sent off in the final few minutes, which only added to their plight. Substitute Molders put Augsburg in the lead with a volley from Werner's left-wing cross -- and it was roles reserved for the third as Werner finished from Molders' assist with 11 minutes to play.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meanwhile, Bundesliga newbies Darmstadt kicked off their campaign with a 5-0 thrashing of fourth-tier TuS Erndtebruck.
Marco Sailer put the visitors in the lead, collecting the ball on the penalty spot, and slamming a shot past the keeper. Over the course of the next Bundesliga season, Sailer is likely to attract attention, not necessarily for his scoring touch -- but for his beard.
Less than a minute later, Darmstadt all-but killed the contest, with new signing Konstantin Rausch -- a free transfer from Stuttgart -- laying off to last season's top scorer Dominik Stroh-Engel who slotted past Timo Backer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}There was a rare drinks break in each of the three games midway through the half as temperatures soared past 30 degrees around kickoff time. Stroh-Engel turned scorer to provider, setting up one for Heller just after the restart. Stroh-Engel then netted his second of the game on 66 minutes, the talismanic striker averaging one goal in two games for Darmstadt since his arrival in 2013. Should "The Lillies" survive this season against the odds, he is surely one player who will be key to their fortunes.
Another is new signing Rausch who has previous Bundesliga experience. On the 84th minute, he timed his run to perfection on the left, finishing as the ball was whipped across from the opposite. Head coach Dirk Schuster will lead his troops into league action against Hannover next weekend.
Elsewhere, second division side FSV Frankfurt is into the second round after a 2-0 win at BFC Dynamo Berlin. The smaller of the Frankfurt sides aren't expected to challenge for promotion this season -- FSV are 14th in Germany's second-tier with one point from their first two league games.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But tradition-laden BFC Dynamo of the German capital were swept away by two first-half goals by Edmond Kapllani and Zlatko Dedic to hand the away side a comfortable win. Fourth-tier Dynamo are fascinating snapshot of sports in the former East Germany, winning 10 championships in successive seasons and playing the likes of Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Aberdeen in European competition.
Since the fall of the Wall, however, BFC haven't lived up to former glories -- the Reds have switched between third, fourth and fifth-tiers in the last 10 years and have suffered from financial difficulties. The near 7,000-strong crowd will provide a financial boost for the Berlin club, but a third-minute spot-kick from Kapllani handed FSV the lead.
Then, three minutes before the interval, Dedic pounced inside the box, tucking home the loose ball from a deflected set-piece. BFC passed up a great chance to launch a fight back when Rockenbach da Silva missed from the penalty spot on the hour mark.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Saturday's DFB Pokal action sees Koln, Leverkusen, Wolfsburg, Schalke, Bremen, Frankfurt, Hoffenheim and Stuttgart open their domestic seasons. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund play their first-round ties on Sunday.