Dortmund knock Frankfurt out of German Cup on penalties

Borussia Dortmund knocked out Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Cups second round on Tuesday by triumphing 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in regular time.

The visitors were perfect from the penalty spot as Fabio Silva, Niklas Suele, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Felix Nmecha all scored, whereas Ritsu Doan and Fares Chaibi failed to find the net for Frankfurt.

Early on, Frankfurt took the lead in the seventh minute through a partnership between ex-Dortmund cup winners Mario Goetze and Ansgar Knauff. Goetze slipped the ball past the Dortmund backline, enabling Knauff to finish calmly.

Dortmund responded swiftly in the second half, with Julian Brandt slotting home a precise low cross from Julian Ryerson just three minutes after the interval.

With the score level, the game extended into extra time, and German forward Jonathan Burkardt appeared to win it for Frankfurt with a goal in the 115th minute, only for the effort to be disallowed due to offside.

During the penalties, Can Uzun and ex-Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi succeeded for the hosts, yet Doan sent his shot high into the stands.

Chaibi required to score Frankfurts fourth penalty to maintain hope, but he fired directly at Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel.

This encounter revisited the 2017 German Cup final, which Dortmund claimed 2-1, at a time when Niko Kovac, now Dortmunds head coach, was managing Frankfurt.

In other results, Hertha Berlin secured a 3-0 victory over Elversberg in Berlin, Hamburg edged Heidenheim 1-0 on the road, and Holstein Kiel from the second tier upset Wolfsburg 1-0 away.

Still to come on Tuesday, RB Leipzig, twice previous champions, face third-tier Energie Cottbus on their turf.

Wednesday features 20-time champions Bayern Munich visiting Cologne, alongside defending champions Stuttgart taking on Mainz.