Christian Pulisic set Borussia Dortmund on their way to a comfortable
3-0 win over third-tier Sportfreunde Lotte on Tuesday that took them
into the semifinals of the German Cup.
All the goals came in the second half, with Ousmane Dembele and Marcel
Schmelzer netting after Pulisic's opener to take Thomas Tuchel's team
into a last-four tie against Bayern Munich.
The original fixture was cancelled two weeks ago, after Lotte's pitch
was deemed unplayable by officials. The rescheduled game took place in
the neutral venue of Osnabrueck.
Minnows Lotte had already beaten two Bundesliga opponents in a superb
cup run this season. After a bright start to the game, it seemed their
fairytale might continue.
Dortmund, though, proved to be too strong for the home side. Even
without their injured star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, they
overpowered Lotte in the second half.
Lotte began bravely, creating several half-chances in the opening 15
minutes. The best opportunity fell to Tim Wendel, who was denied by
goalkeeper Roman Buerki in a one-on-one situation.
Dortmund posed little threat in the first half, creating only a handful
of chances. Long-range efforts from Gonzalo Castro and Raphael Guerreiro
were as close as they came to goal in the first half.
The away side soon picked up, with both Shinji Kagawa and Matthias Ginter coming close just after halftime.
Just before the hour mark, US international Pulisic, 18, broke the
deadlock for Dortmund. After a fine run into the final third, Dembele
released Pulisic in the penalty area, and the American slotted the ball
through the legs of the goalkeeper.
Having scored, Dortmund took control. Schuerrle doubled the lead in the 66th minute, volleying in from close range.
With Lotte running out of energy, it was Dortmund who dictated the final
20 minutes. Dembele forced a good save from Benedikt Fernandez in the
77th minute, and scooped a wild shot over the crossbar minutes later.
A long-range effort from Bernd Rosinger and a half-hearted penalty
appeal was all the home side could muster in the second half. In the
83rd minute, Dortmund captain Schmelzer shattered all hopes of a
comeback, making it 3-0 with a powerful free-kick.
Dortmund and Bayern will meet next month in a repeat of last season's
final, which Bayern won on penalties. Borussia Moenchengladbach will
face Eintracht Frankfurt in the other semifinal.
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