Borussia Dortmund are out of the German Cup after losing 2-0 to Stuttgart as third-tier Saarbruecken knocked out Eintracht Frankfurt.
The draw is wide open after the latest setback for Dortmund, who have been impressive in the Champions League this season but underwhelming in Germany, and Saarbruecken’s back-to-back upsets after ousting Bayern Munich in the previous round.
There will be just three top-tier clubs among the eight in the quarter finals — Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart and Borussia Moenchengladbach — and no team which has won the competition in the last 25 years.
Enzo Millot assisted Serhou Guirassy for Stuttgart’s opening goal in the 54th minute on Wednesday as the Guinea striker slipped between two defenders to score his 18th goal of the season. Maximilian Mittelstädt set up the second for substitute Silas in the 77th.
The result widens the gulf between Dortmund’s domestic and European form. Edin Terzic’s team leads a Champions League group also containing Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle. Their form in German league and Cup games in recent weeks has been a concern, with five points from its last five games — including a 2-1 loss to Stuttgart last month — and now the cup exit.
For Stuttgart, the win is the latest success of an impressive season, with the club also third in the Bundesliga.
Third-division Saarbruecken’s dream run continued with a 2-0 win over last season’s cup runner-up Frankfurt.
Saarbruecken had an opening goal ruled out in the 20th minute when Kai Brünker headed in at a corner but video review spotted a push by one of his teammates.
Even after that reprieve, Frankfurt struggled to get into the game and Brünker finally scored a goal that counted in the 64th when the defence left him in space.
More poor Frankfurt defending in the 78th allowed Luca Kerber to score Saarbruecken’s second goal, and things got even worse soon after for the visiting team with a straight red card for Noel Futkeu.
The striker had only come off the Frankfurt bench six minutes earlier in his first-team debut but aimed a kick at an opponent with the ball nowhere near.
Auba does the star turn
Marseille (France): Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored one goal and provided two assists as Marseille secured a third straight win in all competitions with a 3-0 defeat of last-placed Lyon in the French league.
The Marseille vs Lyon game was initially scheduled on October 29 but was postponed after fans threw rocks and other projectiles at the Lyon bus and then-coach Fabio Grosso needed stitches in his forehead after being hit by broken glass.
Vitinha put the hosts in front in the 20th minute from Aubameyang’s cross with a left-footed shot. Michael Amir Murillo made it 2-0 four minutes later after Aubameyang broke down the left and passed the ball at the far post for his unmarked teammate.
Aubameyang then turned scorer in the 54th minute from Vitinha’s precise back pass. After a mediocre start, Aubameyang has found a new lease of life.
AP/PTI
