Berlin : Marco Reus’ second-half winner secured Borussia Dortmund a 2-1 victory over Bochum in the German Cup last 16. BVB assumed control from the kick-off, but Bochum’s well-positioned defense gave the visitors a hard time, reports Xinhua news agency.
Dortmund needed 13 minutes to produce its first noteworthy opportunity as Jamie Bynoe-Gitters tested Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann from close range.
The visitors increased the pressure and came close through Sebastien Haller, who slipped from a promising position before Bynoe-Gitters missed his second chance from inside the box.
Bochum still had to swallow the deficit before the break as Riemann’s short clearance allowed Emre Can mark the opener with a long-range effort into the empty goal.
The hosts gained the upper hand after the restart but for all that Christopher Antwi-Adjei couldn’t beat Dortmund custodian Gregor Kobel in quick succession.
Bochum eventually restored parity at the hour mark when Kevin Stoger converted a handball penalty into the center of the goal. Dortmund answered in the 70th minute after joker Marco Reus tapped home Jude Bellingham’s square pass, three minutes after his substitution.
Bochum pressed frenetically for the equalizer in the closing period, but Dortmund’s defense stood firm to ensure a quarterfinal berth. “We are of course disappointed. It was a see-saw match, but we didn’t look good when Dortmund scored,” said Bochum coach Thomas Letsch.
“It was a typical cup fight, intense and rough. Bochum made our life difficult, but we left many chances unused and failed to extend our advantage despite several golden chances.
We scored two great goals and are happy that we advanced into the next round,” commented Dortmund coach Edin Terzic. Elsewhere, second-division outfit Nuremberg knocked out Fortuna Dusseldorf following a dramatic 5-3 penalty shootout.
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