FC Schalke 04 was eliminated in the second round of the DFB Cup. The leaders of the 2nd Bundesliga clearly lost their duel with league rivals SV Darmstadt 98 0:4 (0:2). Hiroki Akiyama (23rd minute), Matej Maglica (28th), Fraser Hornby (48th) and substitute Bartosz Bialek (60th) scored the goals for the Lilies. The Hessians will move into the round of 16 and remain unbeaten at home this season.
In front of 17,810 spectators in the sold-out stadium at the Böllenfalltor there was a completely different picture than Schalke’s 1-0 win in the league meeting last Friday. The Darmstadt team seemed unleashed in front of their own crowd and quickly took control on the pitch. Coach Florian Kohfeldt was able to rely on top scorer Isac Lidberg, who was recently sidelined due to illness, as well as midfield organizer Kai Klefisch and Sergio Lopez in his starting line-up. Fabian Holland also played from the start.
Twice Darmstadters alone in front of Karius
It was Lidberg who served Akiyama on a counterattack, and the Japanese took the lead in his second attempt. Just a little later, Maglica followed up with a header from a corner. The break did not interrupt the flow of the Darmstadt game. The people of Gelsenkirchen had little to counter this. In the direct duel, keeper Loris Karius was also powerless, first against Hornby, when the Darmstadt player ran towards the goal alone and sank the ball in the near corner, then against Bialek.
After a heated start, there was a respectful calm in the arena for most of the first half. A few minutes after kick-off there was a medical emergency in the north stand. After half an hour, the supporters called again to support their teams.