Borussia Dortmund beat HEBC Hamburg 5-0 in cup as Nwaneri joins on loan
Niko Kovač's rotated side scored four first-half goals in front of 45,917 fans at Volksparkstadion after signing Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri.
First-half surge settles cup tie
Borussia Dortmund advanced to the second round of the DFB-Pokal with a 5-0 victory over fifth-tier Oberliga side HEBC Hamburg on Tuesday evening. The hosts resisted early pressure and recorded two attempts on goal during the opening exchanges, while Dortmund struggled to convert possession into clear openings. HEBC goalkeeper Jannik Schoon denied midfielder Felix Nmecha in the 25th minute with a reflex save. The deadlock broke in the 33rd minute when a shot by Julian Ryerson deflected off HEBC captain Janek Wrede into the net for an own goal. Daniel Svensson doubled the lead in the 36th minute before 18-year-old forward Samuele Inacio added two goals in the 41st minute and second minute of first-half stoppage time. Forward Fabio Silva scored Dortmund's fifth goal in the 59th minute to conclude the scoring.
- Jannik Schoon saves a shot from Felix Nmecha
- Janek Wrede deflects Julian Ryerson shot into his own net
- Daniel Svensson scores Dortmund second goal
- Samuele Inacio scores Dortmund third goal
- Samuele Inacio scores his second goal of the match
- Fabio Silva scores Dortmund fifth goal
Record attendance at Volksparkstadion
The fixture set a competition record for a match involving a fifth-tier German club, drawing 45,917 spectators. HEBC Hamburg moved the match from their regular home ground, the 2,500-capacity Professor-Reinmüller-Platz, to the Volksparkstadion, the home venue of Hamburger SV. For HEBC captain Wrede, who scored the opening own goal, the venue carried personal significance. The 33-year-old works full-time in the scouting department of Hamburger SV, meaning the match took place at his regular workplace. Despite the five-goal margin, the amateur side maintained their defensive shape through the second half and prevented further scoring after the hour mark.
- Professor-Reinmüller-Platz capacity
- 2500 spectators
- Volksparkstadion attendance
- 45917 spectators
Squad rotation and deadline loan deal
Dortmund head coach Niko Kovač altered his starting lineup on seven positions compared to Saturday's 2-0 Bundesliga victory against Hamburger SV. Reserve goalkeeper Alexander Meyer started between the posts while regular first-choice keeper Gregor Kobel was left out of the matchday squad entirely. Key starters Serhou Guirassy and Joane Gadou received rest, while Konstantinos Karetsas entered the match as a late substitute. Samuele Inacio earned praise for his two-goal performance, following an incident on Saturday where he received a red card and threw a water bottle. Thirty minutes prior to kickoff, Dortmund confirmed the signing of 19-year-old English attacker Ethan Nwaneri on a one-season loan from Arsenal. The loan addresses the absence of new signing Giannis Konstantelias, who suffered a cruciate ligament tear during the weekend match against Hamburger SV and faces several months on the sidelines.
Dortmund sporting managing director Lars Ricken addressed the loan arrival before the match.
For us, Ethan's signing was the best possible sporting solution now.
Rescheduled tie concludes opening round
The cup match took place on Tuesday after being postponed due to Dortmund's participation in the Franz-Beckenbauer-Supercup on 22 August, where they lost 1-2 to Bayern Munich. The revised scheduling leaves one remaining fixture in the DFB-Pokal first round. Defending champions Bayern Munich travel to face newly promoted 2. Bundesliga club VfL Osnabrück on Wednesday at 20:45 to complete the round.
