Stuutgart Through to Semis
February 27, 2007
Stuttgart advanced to the semi-finals of the German Cup with a 2-0 victory against Hertha Berlin on Wednesday.
In pouring rain, which made conditions for the players very difficult, Brazilian striker Cacau and German international Thomas Hitzlsperger scored the goals that gave the home side a place in the next round.
Cacau gave Stuttgart the lead in the 38th minute with a header after Swiss international Ludovic Magnin went around Berlin defender Arne Friedrich and played a pin-point cross into the area for the Brazilian.
Hertha hit be Der Hammer
Stuttgart, who are chasing the league and cup double, continued dominating for most of the remaining match and were rewarded for their efforts in the 77th minute when Hitzlsperger's long range effort from the edge of the area flew past the outstretched hands of diving goalkeeper Christian Fiedler.
Marco Streller, who came on in the second half for German international Mario Gomez should have given Stuttgart a third in the last minute after Roberto Hilbert played the ball across the empty Berlin area, but Streller could not reach the ball to push it into the empty net.
Nuremberg, Wolfsburg and Frankfurt won their German Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, taking a big step toward the tournament's championship match in the capital. Wolfsburg and Frankfurt cruised, while Nuremberg prevailed on penalties.
The man of the match in Nuremberg's clash against Hanover was reserve goalkeeper Daniel Klewer. Substituted in for number-one Raphael Schäfer just before the end of additional time, Klewer twice came up big to give the home side a 4-2 victory on penalties.
Both teams have been on a roll in the Bundesliga, but this game failed to produce many highlights over 120 minutes.
It came down to the spot, and Klewer gave the hosts a leg up, when he saved Hanover's first penalty, taken by Silvio Schröter. Nuremberg converted four straight opportunities, and when Klewer held against Jiri Stajner, the place in the semis was theirs.
Wolfsburg Eliminate Aachen
Alemannia Aachen knocked Bayern Munich out of the tournament in the Cup's last round, but they ran up against a brick wall in Wolfsburg,
Striker Diego Klimowicz put the hosts up 1-0 in the 12th minute, heading home a cross from Isaac Boakye.
And playmaker Marcelinho doubled that advantage thirteen minutes later, blasting the ball past Aachen keeper Stephan Straub from 18 meters out.
Aachen was never able to muster much offense, and the Wolves easily held on in the second half for a deserved 2-0 win.
Frankfurt Win Hessian Derby
Frankfurt got their first victory in eight games, beating local rivals Kickers Offenbach from the second division.
Frankfurt established their dominance early on in Offenbach, with midfielder Michael Fink finding the back of the net in the eleventh minute.
In the second half, striker Naohiro Takahara added a pair of goals to give Frankfurt a relaxed 3-0 win, a berth in the Cup semis and a bit of confidence to take with them into their league relegation battle.