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Fourth division club Carl Zeiss Jena stunned Hamburg SV 3-2 in the German Cup on Sunday, taking the scalp of the Bundesliga's former European champions to cause the biggest sensation of the competition's first round.
On an afternoon when German champions Bayern Munich were made to rouse themselves to progress with a 3-1 win over plucky fifth league side Noettingen, it was Carl Zeiss Jena's teenage striker Johannes Pieles who stole the headlines.
Hamburg, who needed a relegation playoff to remain in the Bundesliga last season, twice came back from behind only for 19 year-old Pieles to make it a red letter day for the underdogs at their Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld home when he headed home the winner in extra time.
It represented a memorable victory for the club from Jena which has its own distinguished history. Founded by workers at the Carl Zeiss optics factory, they were powerhouses of the East German game in the 1970s and reached the European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1981 before falling on harder times after German reunification.
Hamburg needed an Ivica Olic goal in the 48th minute to equalise after Justin Gerlach's thundering 30-metre free kick that curled in off the post put Jena ahead.
The visitors, with Bosnian defender Emir Spahic in the lineup after joining the club following his sacking from Bayer Leverkusen last season for hitting and headbutting a club steward, had constant trouble with Jena's pace.
Forward Velimir Jovanovic put the hosts ahead once more in the 58th minute but Hamburg battled to save themselves with a last-gasp Michael Gregoritsch goal deep into second half stoppage time.
The fairytale was not over, though, as Pieles punished Hamburg for giving him too much space to head the winner in the 106th minute.
At Noettingen, Bayern were given a shock after new signing Arturo Vidal had scored his first goal for the club in the fourth minute, only to be pegged back by Niklas Hecht-Zirpel's 16th minute goal.
The lead lasted for just a minute, though, as Mario Gotze restored Bayern's advantage and Robert Lewandowski's 26th minute goal settled the issue.
Borussia Dortmund also advanced, beating Chemnitz 2-0 with Henrikh Mkhitaryan scoring one goal and setting up another for Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
