No Cup Upset

Darmstadt started the match against Bundesliga side Freiburg with a well-organised defence, while the home team sought to control the game early on. Darmstadt’s attack initially relied primarily on quick counter-attacks. The visitors‘ defence remained solid for long stretches and initially conceded few clear-cut chances. Freiburg’s first dangerous attack didn’t come until the 12th minute when Grifo got a shot away, but it was decisively blocked by Patric Pfeiffer.

The first attempt on goal for the visitors came after 18 minutes: Luca Marseiler headed a cross into the box, and Marco Richter attempted an acrobatic finish, but narrowly missed the ball. Freiburg remained the more active team, but Darmstadt had the best chance of the game so far: Killian Corredor played the ball to Matthias Bader, who volleyed it and forced a brilliant save from goalkeeper Müller on 27 minutes. Just a few seconds later, Isac Lidberg got a shot off in the penalty area, but under pressure the striker couldn’t get enough power behind the ball – and once again Müller came out on top.

Freiburg only managed their first real chance five minutes before halftime, but Marcel Schuhen prevented Manzambi from scoring from close range. Two minutes later, however, the Darmstadt goalkeeper was helpless: Grifo fired an unstoppable penalty under the crossbar – Pfeiffer had brought Manzambi down in the penalty area. So Darmstadt went into the break trailing by a single goal.

After the restart, Darmstadt played more offensively and tried to find a response to the deficit. The first shot on goal, however, fell to the home side, but Schuhen saved Grifo’s curling effort, 8 minutes after the interval. The visitors repeatedly tried their luck from distance, but shots from Kai Klefisch just before the hour mark and Marseiler in the 60th minute flew well wide.

Despite having few chances, Freiburg made it 2-0 in the 70th minute: After a pass, Höler found himself one-on-one with Schuhen and chipped the ball over him. Darmstadt didn’t give up, however, and came close to pulling a goal back with two headers from Matej Maglica in a minute, but both times Müller tipped the ball over the bar with a little under 15 minutes to play. A minute later, Maglica tried again, this time with a powerful shot from the edge of the box, but once more he was denied by the keeper.

Seven minutes from time, the home side were awarded another penalty after a counter-attack, but this time Grifo’s shot hit the woodwork, leaving Darmstadt with the score at 2-0. Shortly afterward, Maglica received a second yellow card (88th), meaning Darmstadt had to finish the match with ten men and ultimately succumb to the Bundesliga side 2-0.