Dortmund Beat Eintracht Frankfurt On Penalties, Progress to Last 16 of DFB Pokal

 

Borussia Dortmund earned a hard-fought comeback victory against Eintracht Frankfurt in a penalty shootout (4-2), following a 1-1 draw, and progressed to the last 16 of the DFB Pokal. 

Dortmund had been unbeaten in two previous Bundesliga games. They started defensively before building up resilience to make a comeback and holding on through the extra time to win on penalties. 

In the early stages, Maro Gotze set the pace for the opening goal, playing in Ansgar Knauff, who latched onto the box and struck the ball into the net. Dortmund recovered the deficit as Julian Ryerson's cross landed rightly for Julian Brandt's tap-in from close range. 

After an unresolved extra time, the game went into penalties. Ritsu Doan and Fares Chaibi lost their penalties, as Eintracht Frankfurt lost out by 2-4 to Dortmund. 

Last season, Frankfurt lost out in the last 16 of the competition. They had been winless in their previous four games in all competitions until their last match against FC St. Pauli, which they won 2-0. 

Overview 

Frankfurt dominated the first half, leading Dortmund frustrated and trailing by a goal deficit. Dortmund became physical in an attempt to stay in the game. The hosts remained dominant even after their opponents equilibrated in the second half. 

In terms of chances, Frankfurt had greater opportunities and more shots on target than Dortmund, whose resolve was strong enough to keep the balls out. Frankfurt came close to winning from a free-kick that Jonathan Burkardt finished off, but it was ruled out for offside. It was disappointing that Doan lost his penalty because he did a great job on the right wing. Dortmund's resolute saw them through the game to progress to the third round of DFB Pokal.