 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Borussia Dortmund beat Hertha Berlin 3-2 on penalties to reach the German Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday after the match finished 1-1 after extra time.
Dortmund, who were reduced to 10 men late in extra time after Sokratis Papastathopoulos was sent off for dissent, were better from the penalty spot as three Hertha players failed to score.
Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Hertha's Vedad Ibisevic both had golden chances in the first half, before Salomon Kalou volleyed Hertha ahead in the 27th minute.
Marco Reus drew the hosts level three minutes into the second half after Ousmane Dembele's shot bounced off the post.
In a one-sided second half Dortmund should have won it after creating several clear scoring chances.
They were reduced to 10 men when Papastathopoulos was booked twice in quick succession, leaving the pitch in the 119th minute.
The hosts, however, kept their cool in the shootout before Kalou fired his penalty high over the bar to send Dortmund into the next round.
Third division Sportfreunde Lotte continued their sensational run by beating second tier 1860 Munich 2-0 to advance to the last eight. Lotte have already eliminated Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen.
Schalke 04 eased past second division Sandhausen 4-1 while holders Bayern Munich edged past VfL Wolfsburg 1-0 to book their spot on Tuesday.
Juventus see off Crotone to go seven points clear
Juventus extended their advantage at the top of Serie A to seven points after goals from Mario Mandzukic and Gonzalo Higuain secured a 2-0 win at struggling Crotone on Wednesday.
Crotone headed into the match nine points adrift of safety but they defended resolutely for an hour until Juve's overwhelming pressure finally told when Mandzukic fired home in the 60th minute after goalkeeper Alex Cordaz parried Kwadwo Asamoah's downward header into his path.
With the hosts' resolve broken, Higuain added a second 14 minutes later when he finished past Cordaz after being found by a delightful threaded pass by new signing Tomas Rincon, making his first league start for Juve, as Massimiliano Allegri's side made the most of their game in hand.
The win took Juventus up to 57 points and re-establishesd the champions' seven-point lead over AS Roma, who thumped Fiorentina 4-0 on Tuesday. Napoli could close the gap to six points if they beat Genoa at home on Friday.
