Holstein Kiel defeat TSV 1860 München 2:0 to advance in DFB-Pokal
Second-tier Holstein Kiel secured a place in the DFB-Pokal second round with a 2:0 victory away to fourth-tier TSV 1860 München on Saturday.
Early chances and the breakthrough
Tim Walter adjusted the Holstein Kiel starting lineup with four changes following their 2:2 league draw against FC St. Pauli. Goalkeeper Lio Rothenhagen started in place of Timon Weiner, while John Tolkin replaced Leon Parduzi, Jonas Therkelsen replaced Kasper Davidsen, and Faride Alidou stepped in for Alexander Bernhardsson following the latter player's transfer to VfL Wolfsburg. Alidou missed an opportunity to score in the 17th minute when he found open space in the penalty area, stumbled, and pushed his ten-metre shot wide to the left. Four minutes later, Therkelsen broke free toward an unguarded goal, but defender Lasse Faßmann sprinted back to clear the ball off the goal line. Adrian Kapralik also lifted a shot over the crossbar from a sharp angle in the 28th minute. The opening goal arrived in the 34th minute when Kapralik delivered a cross into the penalty area and Phil Harres converted a close-range header. The strike was Harres's third goal of the season, having previously scored in 2:2 draws against SV Darmstadt 98 and St. Pauli.
- Faride Alidou misses open chance for Kiel from ten metres
- Lasse Faßmann clears Jonas Therkelsen shot off the goal line
- Phil Harres scores opening header from Adrian Kapralik cross
- Hiroki Sekine makes goal-line clearance after corner scramble
- Lio Rothenhagen saves bouncing 35-metre free kick from Fiedler
- Guillermo Balzi scores into empty net on counter-attack
Munich pressure in the second half
TSV 1860 München entered the fixture marking their return to the DFB-Pokal after a four-year absence, having last competed against Borussia Dortmund prior to their forced relegation to the fourth-tier Regionalliga. A capacity crowd of 15,000 spectators attended the Stadion an der Grünwalder Straße, including 1,500 travelling supporters from Kiel. Playmaker Tunay Deniz created early danger for the hosts with long-range attempts, trying his luck from beyond 50 metres in the 27th minute and from roughly 40 metres in the 37th minute. Following the halftime interval, the team managed by Alper Kayabunar pushed forward aggressively and increased their share of possession as Kiel retreated into defensive positions. Midfielder Dressel attempted a shot from distance that missed the left goalpost by a narrow margin. Munich came closest to equalising in the 68th minute during a scramble after a corner kick, but defender Hiroki Sekine cleared the ball off the line to protect Rothenhagen's goal.
Stoppage time goal seals result
Goalkeeper Rothenhagen secured Kiel's lead again in the 75th minute by turning away a dipping 35-metre free kick taken by Fiedler. With the home side committing numbers into attack during the final 20 minutes, Kiel looked for opportunities on the counter-attack. Harres missed a chance to double the advantage moments before the end of regulation time. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Guillermo Balzi capitalized on an open defence and passed the ball into the empty net to establish the 2:0 final scoreline. The victory sends Holstein Kiel into the second round of the DFB-Pokal for the fourth consecutive year.
Financial prize and tournament schedule
By winning the first-round match, Holstein Kiel earned 456,377 euros in competition prize money. The club reached the quarter-finals during the previous DFB-Pokal campaign before suffering elimination against eventual finalists VfB Stuttgart. TSV 1860 München exited the competition in the opening round despite their late attacking efforts. The draw to determine the pairings for the second round of the DFB-Pokal is scheduled for 5 September at 18:00 during the Sportschau television programme.
