It is considered a cliché, but there is hardly any truth in it as in this one: The trophy has its own laws…
Again and again, the small amateur clubs succeed in beating the big professional clubs and writing history as the underdog. Starts Friday, July 29th the new cup season 2022/23. Will an amateur club manage to knock the Bundesliga out of the competition again? BILD has collected the eleven biggest sensations to prepare for the cup.
SC Geislingen – Hamburger SV 2:0
Geislingen, August 31, 1984: HSV made a fool of themselves under coach Ernst Happel in the third division. Happel had arranged a training camp to emphasize the seriousness of the game. But in the end it was 2-0 for SC Geislingen and HSV playmaker Felix Magath stated soberly: “The real catastrophe is that we had no chance of winning at all.”
FV Weinheim – Bayern Munich 1-0
Weinheim, August 4, 1990: The great FC Bayern played with five world champions a month after the World Cup triumph in Rome at the Baden Oberliga club FV Weinheim and was humiliated like never before. He couldn’t find a recipe against FVW and Thomas Schwechheimer scored the goal of the day from the penalty spot before the break to win the match 1-0.
TSV Vestenbergsgreuth – Bayern Munich 1-0
Vestenbergsgreuth, 14 August 1994: Bayern got it again. With their new coach Giovanni Trapattoni, the then reigning champions made a guest appearance in Nuremberg’s Frankenstadion for the Franconian regional league team TSV Vestenbergsgreuth, who came from a village with 360 inhabitants. Eleven “Nobodies” defeated eleven superstars in front of 24,200 spectators – from Kahn to Matthäus – in an atmosphere that was unfamiliar to them. Roland Stein scored the only goal after 43 minutes. Particularly embarrassing for Bayern: The game was broadcast live on ZDF.
SV Sandhausen – VfB Stuttgart 15:14 iE
Sandhausen, August 27, 1995: A sensation in Baden-Württemberg and a record that still stands today: Never in the history of the DFB Cup have there been more goals in a penalty shoot-out, and some players even scored twice. This was necessary because there was still no winner between the then regional league team SV Sandhausen and VfB Stuttgart after 120 minutes (2:2). A small embarrassment for VfB, who started with their “magic triangle” (Balakov-Bobic-Elber). It got even worse: In the end it was 15:14 for SV Sandhausen, because Stuttgart’s Hendrik Herzog was the only one to miss after 25 goals (!).
Beckum – 1. FC Cologne 4: 3 iE
Beckum, August 27, 1995: On the same day, 1. FC Köln dropped out of the cup after a goalless game at Oberliga side Beckum (Westfalen), also after a penalty shoot-out (3:4). In front of 7,000 spectators, goalkeeper Jürgen Welp became the hero of the day, saving Bruno Labbadia’s last penalty. Cologne released coach Morten Olsen in the evening.
Eintracht Trier – Borussia Dortmund 2:1
Trier, October 28, 1997: In the first round, the then third-division club knocked out Uefa Cup winners Schalke 04 1-0 from the cup, then it was the turn of Champions League winners Borussia Dortmund. Like against Schalke, Trier’s Rudi Thömmes was the hero and scored 1-0. Thömmes: “Dortmund mercilessly underestimated us. We weren’t completely blind, we could also kick something. But they probably realized that too late.” Only in the semifinals did Eintracht Trier lose on penalties against Duisburg.
VfB Stuttgart II – Eintracht Frankfurt 6:1
Stuttgart, 26. August 2000: Only 1700 spectators saw the highest ever victory of a third division team against a Bundesliga team in the Daimler Stadium. The second team of VfB Stuttgart dismantled Eintracht Frankfurt under coach Felix Magath with an unbelievable 6-1 victory. After Markus Loesch was sent off (50th), Eintracht collapsed completely. Former Eintracht professional Ioannis Amanatidis also scored two goals.
SSV Ulm – 1. FC Nürnberg 2:1
Ulm, 26. August 2001: For the first time, a fifth division club beats a Bundesliga club. The SSV Ulm, in 1999/2000 still first class, had crashed down to the league for economic reasons. But the only professional left from the Bundesliga, Dragan Trkulja, scored a penalty to make it 2-1 against 1. FC Nürnberg, coached by Klaus Augenthaler.
FK Pirmasens – Werder Bremen 4:1 iE
Pirmasens, September 9, 2006: Werder Bremen came to the Sportpark Husterhöhe, the home of the regional league promoted team FK Pirmasens, with all the stars. But the team around Diego and World Cup top scorer Miroslav Klose only saved themselves through a late goal from Ivan Klasnic in extra time (1:1). In the penalty shoot-out there was no rescue, three Bremen missed and the West Palatinate celebrated all night long. The secret of their success: coach Robert Jung had set up the substitute goalkeeper, who had advertised that he had not yet lost a penalty shoot-out. Rainer Schwarz saved two balls – and his word.
Berlin AK – TSG Hoffenheim 0:4
Berlin, 18. August 2012: Six Bundesliga teams failed in the first round of the 2012/13 season, but none embarrassed themselves more than Hoffenheim with Tim Wiese in goal. 0:4 at a regional league club, the Berlin AK (Athletik-Klub) 07, that put everything in the shade. “We made history,” said BAK trainer Jens Härtel after the heated battle. In fact, it was the highest victory of a fourth division team against a Bundesliga club in 77 years of the DFB Cup – and that in front of only 1468 paying visitors.
Rot-Weiss Essen – Bayer Leverkusen 2:1
Essen, February 2, 2021: Fourth division club Rot-Weiss Essen sensationally defeated Bundesliga club Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the round of 16 after being 1-0 down in extra time. First Oğuzhan Kefkir scored for Essen in the 108th minute, then Simon Engelmann was the goal hero for the 2-1 winner. Just a pity: due to the corona pandemic, RWE fans were not able to see this highlight in the stadium.
