Dortmund loses again with early exit from German Cup to increase pressure on coach Nuri Sahin
Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck, right, battles for the ball with Wolfsburg's Patrick Wimmer during a second-round German Cup soccer match, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Wolfsburg, Germany. Credit: AP/Swen Pförtner
WOLFSBURG, Germany — Borussia Dortmund's losing run hit a new low with elimination from the German Cup in a 1-0 second-round loss to Wolfsburg on Tuesday to increase the pressure on coach Nuri Sahin.
Dortmund's injury-hit team struggled to generate scoring chances in a drab 90 minutes before Wolfsburg forward Jonas Wind settled the game in extra time with a 116th-minute goal.
That consigned last season's Champions League runner-up Dortmund to a third straight loss in all competitions, a fifth defeat in a row in away games, and its earliest cup exit since the 2010-11 season.
“It's not about my personal situation, it's about moving the club forward, getting back to winning ways as soon as possible, winning our games,” the 36-year-old Sahin, who took over from Edin Terzic in the off-season, told broadcaster Sky. “Believe me, it's extremely bitter and disappointing for me too that we're in a situation like this right now, but we can't do anything other than keep going.”
The frustration was visible as goalkeeper Gregor Kobel hurled his gloves against the bench after the final whistle.
Even playing extra time was a problem for Dortmund, given its lengthy injury list.
Midfielders Pascal Gross and Emre Can had to fill gaps in the defense and Sahin, who was already under pressure after Dortmund's losses at Real Madrid and Augsburg last week, made only one substitution in the 90 minutes, bringing on American forward Cole Campbell for only his second senior Dortmund game.
Leverkusen's head coach Xabi Alonso reacts during the German Soccer Cup match between Bayer Leverkusen and SV Elversberg at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. Credit: AP/Martin Meissner
Marcel Sabitzer made an extra-time cameo off the bench despite carrying a back injury, but his most notable contribution was losing the ball to Wind for the Danish striker to score Wolfsburg's goal.
Dortmund's busy schedule doesn't let up with a game against Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday and a visit from Austria's Sturm Graz in the Champions League next week.
Leverkusen and Leipzig progress
Last season's German Cup winner Bayer Leverkusen cruised into the third round with a 3-0 win over second-tier Elversberg. Patrik Schick scored twice in the first nine minutes and Aleix Garcia converted a free kick for his first goal since joining Leverkusen from Girona for this season.
Leipzig beat St. Pauli 4-2 to avoid a repeat of last season's second-round exit when it was the two-time defending champion in the cup.
RB Leipzig's Yussuf Poulsen celebrates after his goal against St. Pauli in a German Cup soccer match in Leipzig, Germany Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. Credit: AP/Hendrik Schmidt
Leipzig had a 3-1 lead after 30 minutes but St. Pauli got back into the game with Eric Smith's lob in the 58th and was pushing to level the score. The 19-year-old Norway winger Antonio Nusa dribbled past two defenders and scored Leipzig's fourth to secure the win.
Stuttgart had to work hard to break down last season's cup finalist Kaiserslautern in a 2-1 win settled by Chris Führich's first goal of the season in the 75th.
Second-tier Cologne upset Bundesliga club Holstein Kiel 3-0, while Augsburg beat second-division Schalke 3-0 to reach the third round for the first time since 2018-19. The lowest-ranked team left in the competition, fourth-tier Kickers Offenbach, was beaten 2-0 by second-division Karlsruhe.
Ten-man Jahn Regensburg held on to beat Greuther Fürth 1-0 after goalscorer Rasim Bulic was sent off for a dangerous tackle.
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