DFB Pokal: Erik Ten Hag's Bayer Leverkusen Rout Grossaspach 4-0, Bielefeld Beat Bremen
Bayer Leverkusen head coach Erik ten Hag made a winning start to his tenure at the German outfit with a 4-0 win in the first round of their DFB Pokal encounter against fourth-tier team Sonnenhof Grossaspach on Friday.
Patrik Schick, Arthur, Christian Kofane and Alex Grimaldo all netted in the side's rampant win over a hapless Grossaspach, who also had to endure the sight of their captain Volkan Celikwas being sent off in the 66th with two bookings in as many minutes.
Leverkusen had to defend for extended periods after Schick's opener in the 32nd minute. The Czech forward also cleared the ball off the line. Arthur scored the second goal shortly after Celikwas was sent off, and other goals followed Mert Tasdelen's late sending off for a bad challenge on Leverkusen defender Axel Tape.
Ten Hag, the former Manchester United manager, took over from the Real Madrid-bound Xabi Alonso and has had little time to work with a squad undergoing significant changes. Key players like Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, and Granit Xhaka have left, while Kofane, Tape, Ernest Poku, Ibrahim Maza, Jarell Quansah, and goalkeeper Mark Flekken all made their debuts on Friday.
The match was interrupted in the first half by a summer storm with hailstones, leading referee Michael Bacher to take the teams off the field. Play resumed after a 40-minute break.
American forward Isaiah Young scored in the final minutes to propel last season's beaten finalist Arminia Bielefeld into the second round with a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen. Leonardo Bittencourt from the Bundesliga side was sent off in the 54th minute, and Bielefeld pushed hard for the winner. Young entered in the 79th minute and thrilled the home fans by scoring in the third minute of stoppage time.
Bielefeld, then playing in the third division, knocked out several Bundesliga clubs, including Bremen, on its way to the final in May, where Stuttgart proved too strong. Stuttgart's title defense will start later this month as it plays Bayern Munich in the German Supercup on Saturday.
Also on Friday, Union Berlin routed fourth-tier side Gütersloh 5-0 away, and second-division Magdeburg secured a 3-1 win at third-division Saarbrücken.
view comments
First Published:
August 16, 2025, 10:56 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
6 hours ago
- NDTV
German Great Thomas Mueller Has Stunning Goal Ruled Out On MLS Debut For Vancouver
Thomas Mueller made his Major League Soccer debut on Sunday as a second-half substitute for Vancouver Whitecaps in a 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo that left the Germany great with "mixed feelings" after he had a goal disallowed for offside. Vancouver were up 1-0 courtesy of Brian White's sixth-minute penalty when the former Bayern Munich striker Mueller entered the contest to a massive ovation in the 61st minute. Mueller, a World Cup-winner with Germany whose storied tenure at Bayern included 13 Bundesliga titles, had made his way into Vancouver's BC Place stadium through a throng of excited supporters, high-fiving and shaking hands as he went. The Whitecaps had officially unveiled their new signing on Thursday, a week after he inked a deal through the end of the 2025 season with an option for 2026. The crowd of 26,301 stood and cheered when he was introduced before kickoff, and Mueller applauded fans in return. Minutes after entering the game Mueller blasted a ball into the back of the net, but it was ruled offside. "Mixed feelings, mixed feelings," the 35-year-old said. "The result is disappointing, to be honest. "But, yeah, I came in at my first moment directly with my first goal here. The crowd was going crazy, but then it was taken off for offside. "We have to take the next steps in the next game," he added after seeing Houston's Artur grab the equalizer with a long-range blast in the first minute of second-half injury time. "But I'm very happy to be here. I think the crowd was amazing." The draw left Vancouver in third place in the Western Conference on 46 points, six behind conference leaders San Diego and one back of Minnesota. San Diego moved to the top of the Supporters' Shield standings for best overall record -- ahead of Eastern Conference leaders Cincinnati on goal difference -- with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday. THOMAS MULLER SCORES FOR THE WHITECAPS But it's offside by Brian White. Stunning pure strike from the top of the box, but it won't count. — Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) August 18, 2025 "We had to win it clear," Mueller said. "We had to get big chances. But in the end, yeah, it's soccer and it can happen." He was happy to have his first MLS match under his belt and looking forward to settling in after a whirlwind first week. "I'm happy now that my first game is in the books," said the German, who joined Bayern's youth program in 2000 and then called the club home for 25 years. "I can start next week, just a regular week," he said. "I just have to settle down today after this game in my apartment and think about what happened this week -- it was crazy stuff."
News18
8 hours ago
- News18
Thomas Mueller Makes MLS Debut, Has Goal Ruled Out For...
Thomas Mueller was pleased to have his first MLS match under his belt and looked forward to settling in after a whirlwind first week. Thomas Mueller made his Major League Soccer debut on Sunday as a second-half substitute for the Vancouver Whitecaps in a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo. This left the German great with 'mixed feelings" after a goal he scored was disallowed for offside. Vancouver led 1-0 thanks to Brian White's sixth-minute penalty when Mueller, the former Bayern Munich striker, joined the match to a massive ovation in the 61st minute. Mueller, a World Cup winner with Germany who won 13 Bundesliga titles during his illustrious career at Bayern, arrived at Vancouver's BC Place stadium amidst excited supporters, high-fiving and shaking hands along the way. The Whitecaps officially unveiled their new signing on Thursday, a week after he signed a deal extending through the end of the 2025 season with an option for 2026. The crowd of 26,301 stood and cheered when Mueller was introduced before kickoff, and he returned their applause. Minutes after entering the game, Mueller blasted a ball into the net, but it was ruled offside. 'Mixed feelings, mixed feelings," the 35-year-old said. 'The result is disappointing, to be honest. But, yeah, I came in at my first moment directly with my first goal here. The crowd was going crazy, but then it was taken off for offside." 'We have to take the next steps in the next game," he added after seeing Houston's Artur score the equalizer with a long-range shot in the first minute of second-half injury time. 'But I'm very happy to be here. I think the crowd was amazing." The draw left Vancouver in third place in the Western Conference with 46 points, six behind conference leaders San Diego and one behind Minnesota. San Diego moved to the top of the Supporters' Shield standings for the best overall record—ahead of Eastern Conference leaders Cincinnati on goal difference—with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday. 'We had to win it clear," Mueller said. 'We had to get big chances. But in the end, yeah, it's soccer and it can happen." He was pleased to have his first MLS match under his belt and looked forward to settling in after a whirlwind first week. 'I'm happy now that my first game is in the books," said the German, who joined Bayern's youth program in 2000 and then called the club home for 25 years. 'I can start next week, just a regular week." 'I just have to settle down today after this game in my apartment and think about what happened this week—it was crazy stuff." With AP Inputs Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
9 hours ago
- NDTV
Atletico Madrid Beaten By Espanyol In La Liga Opener
Espanyol staged a late comeback to grab a shock 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday as Diego Simeone's men made a disappointing start to their La Liga campaign. Pere Milla scored a late winner as Atletico stumbled to defeat in Barcelona despite leading through Julian Alvarez's brilliant goal. Atletico have been busy in the transfer market, with notable arrivals including Alex Baena, David Hancko, Johnny Cardoso and Giacomo Raspadori, in a bid to challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid for the title. Angel Correa, Rodrigo De Paul and Cesar Azpilicueta have all departed as part of the rebuild after Simeone's team finished third, 12 points behind champions Barca last term. Barcelona kicked off their title defence with a 3-0 win at Mallorca on Saturday, while Real Madrid host Osasuna on Tuesday. Slovakia centre-back Hancko had the best chance of a cagey opening half-hour for Atletico but could only head straight at Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic. The visitors forged ahead in spectacular fashion in the 37th minute, though, as Alvarez curled a free-kick into the top corner, well beyond the dive of Dmitrovic. Alvarez went close to doubling Atletico's lead just before the hour mark when he crashed a shot against the post. Espanyol hit back 17 minutes from time as Miguel Rubio netted after a set-piece. Substitute Milla completed the turnaround, heading in Omar El Hilali's cross to snatch all three points for the home side in the 84th minute. Athletic Bilbao got off to a winning start as substitute Robert Navarro's late goal sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory over Sevilla. Nico Williams' penalty and Maroan Sannadi's strike put the Basque club two goals up at half-time at the San Mames. But Dodi Lukebakio fired in off the post on the hour to cut the deficit before Lucien Agoume drew Sevilla level with 18 minutes to play. Navarro had the final say in the 81st minute, though, giving Bilbao an opening win as they look to back up a fine campaign last term when they finished fourth to qualify for the Champions League.
