Football: Leverkusen, Bremen, HSV proceed in DFB Pokal

Thursday, March 5, 2009

In Germany's DFB Pokal, the three remaining quarterfinal fixtures took place Wednesday. First Bundesliga sides Werder Bremen, Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen will join Second Bundesliga side 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the semifinals, scheduled for April 21 and 22, 2009. The finals for Germany's FA Cup equivalent will be played on May 30 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

VfL Wolfsburg v Werder Bremen

The day's first matches started at 19:00 local time (18:00 UTC), and got off to a quick start. Three goals were scored in the first ten minutes, it was 1 - 2 for Bremen at that point. Diego scored on a shot from just outside the box after three minutes; after another three minutes, Mesut Özil ran past a confused Wolfsburg defence and knocked it in from 5 metres. Wolfsburg were not fazed by the two early goals, with striker Edin Dzeko answering back with a shot past the helpless Nico Pellatz after ten. Werder had a chance for a third goal in the twenty-first from Chelsea loan Claudio Pizarro. It was all Bremen in the second half; a third goal came from Diego in the fifty-fifth, off of a penalty kick awarded because of a tackle in the box from Diego Benaglio. Goals from Pizarro in the seventy-first put Bremen up 2 - 4, but Wolfsburg refused to give in. Pizarro knocked another one in one minute from full-time, which ensured Bremen's trip into the semifinal.

March 4, 2009
19:00 (UTC+1)
VfL Wolfsburg 2 – 5 Werder Bremen Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg
Attendance: 24,115
Referee: Thorsten Kinhöfer (Herne)
Dzeko   10',   42'
Pekarík   24'
Benaglio   54'
Schindzielorz   57'
Dejagah   57'
Josué   71'
Okubo   74'
Misimovic   74'
Report Diego   3',   55' (pen)
Özil   6',   86'
Rosenburg   25',   69'
Boenisch   34'
Fritz   34'
Naldo   43'
Frings   43'
Almeida   69'
Pizarro   71',   89'
Mertesacker   79'
Tziolis   86'


Sources

Hamburger SV v SV Wehen Wiesbaden

SV Wehen Wiesbaden, currently in last place in the Second Bundesliga, faced a formidable challenge in the form of the First Bundesliga's second place team, Hamburger SV. Things didn't start off well for Wiesbaden, as Marko Kopilas scored a dreaded own goal seventeen minutes into the game. Nevertheless, Wiesbaden unleashed a flurry of chances, from David Jarolim (twenty-second), Jonathan Pitroipa (twenty-fifth) and Paolo Guerrero (thirty-second). Mladen Petrić would score in the thirty-seventh, and HSV seemed assured of victory. Sandro Schwarz scored for Wiesbaden in the eighty-fifth minute, but by then it was too late for the visitors. The win marks HSV's first trip to the semifinals since 1999.

March 4, 2009
19:00 (UTC+1)
Hamburger SV 2 – 1 SV Wehen Wiesbaden HSH Nordbank Arena, Hamburg
Attendance: 35,378
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Ergolding)
Kopilas   17' (o.g.)
Petrić   37'
Olić   45'
Guerrero   45'
Rincón   62'
Jarolím   62'
Ndjeng   73'
Jansen   73'
Report Schwarz   14',   85'
Barg   45'
Glibo   45'
Amstätter   50'
Hollmann   50'
Diakité   70'
Schönheim   70'


Sources

Bayer 04 Leverkusen v FC Bayern München

The final game of the night kicked off at 20:30 local (19:30 UTC). FC Bayern München, the defending champions and one of Germany's most popular clubs, took on w:Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the latter's temporary home of LTU Arena. It quickly became evident that this would be Leverkusen's game to lose. Patrick Helmes led the offence for Leverkusen, having several chances in the first 20 minutes. Tranquillo Barnetta shot one just wide of the post in the twenty-second. The game went into half-time without a goal. Bayern's offence saw little action in the first half, as they were missing Phillipp Lahm and Luca Toni. Adding to the difficulty was, as broadcaster ZDF put it, "nothing at all to see" from Franck Ribéry. Bayern's only chances in the first forty-five were off of mistakes by Leverkusen; specifically, an errant deflection by Stefan Kießling in the twelth and a misstruck backpass by Gonzalo Castro in the sixteenth.

In the second half, Leverkusen were finally rewarded in the fifty-fourth by a shot from Bernetta which slipped into the right corner past Bayern keeper Michael Rensing. Arturo Vidal would score in the sixty-first, followed by Patrick Helmes nine minutes later. After that goal, Bayern's offence begin creating chances. Lúcio and Miroslav Klose would score in the space of two minutes to bring the visitors within one. This was not to be Bayern's day, however; Kießling notched another goal in stoppage time to deny Bayern their chance to defend the cup. For Leverkusen, it is the first time they have reached the semi-finals since 2002, and their first-ever defeat of Bayern in the Pokal.

March 4, 2009
20:30 (UTC+1)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen 4 - 2 FC Bayern München LTU Arena, Düsseldorf
Attendance: 50,500
Referee: Florian Meyer (Burgdorf)
Barnetta   54',   73'
Vidal   61',   90'
Helmes   70'
Kroos   73',   77'
Charisteas   89'
Rolfes   87'
Helmes   89'
Haggui   90'
Kießling   90+2'
Report Ottl   60',   63'
Podolski   63'
Borowski   63'
Schweinsteiger   63'
Lúcio   72'
Klose   74'
van Buyten   83'
Oddo   83'
Rensing   85'


Sources