SV Darmstadt 98 fought their way past fourth-tier Carl Zeiss Jena 2-1 on Sunday to reach the second round of the DFB-Pokal, overcoming a spectacular long-range equaliser from the home side to seal their passage.
Milan Smit put Darmstadt ahead in the 11th minute before Elias Löder levelled for Jena in the 38th minute with a strike from around 30 metres. Lance Duijvestijn restored the visitors' lead two minutes later, sending Darmstadt into the break 2-1 up.
Smit's early strike
Jena had the first real chance of the afternoon when Emilio Munser pounced on a sloppy pass from Darmstadt goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen and shot narrowly wide of the far corner in the sixth minute.
Darmstadt made the most of their own opening five minutes later. New signing Smit struck from around 25 metres and placed the ball precisely into the corner to make it 1-0.
Manolo Merx, one of Darmstadt's most dangerous players early on, should have doubled the lead in the 14th minute but shot over the bar with a free effort in front of the goalkeeper. Duijvestijn was denied by Jena goalkeeper Marius Liesegang in the 34th minute, and a header from Aleksandar Vukotic was cleared off the line by Nils Butzen two minutes later.
Löder's stunning equaliser
Jena hit back in the 38th minute in dramatic fashion. Löder collected the ball around 30 metres from goal and fired it unstoppably into the top corner past a well-positioned Schuhen, levelling the score at 1-1 with what was described as a strong contender for goal of the month.
Darmstadt responded immediately. Duijvestijn and Smit combined in a quick one-two, and Duijvestijn finished to put Darmstadt back in front at 2-1 in the 40th minute, a lead the Bundesliga 2 side held going into half-time.
Second half nerves
The DFB-Pokal is Germany's national football cup, contested each season by clubs from across the country's league pyramid, and first-round ties regularly pit top-flight and second-tier sides against lower-division opponents such as Jena, who play in the fourth-tier Regionalliga.
Chances were scarce for long periods after the break. Darmstadt looked for a third goal to settle the tie while Jena pushed for another equaliser, but neither side took major risks.
The hosts came closest to forcing extra time in the 80th minute, when a well-worked attack ended with Tristan Teuber's first-time effort inside the box flashing just wide of the goal. It proved to be Jena's last real opportunity, and Darmstadt held on to celebrate their progress to the next round.
Darmstadt coach Kohfeldt, who picked up a yellow card during the match, later described the tie as a tough cup fight. Goalkeeper Schuhen said afterwards that the only thing that had mattered was winning.
What's next for Darmstadt
The draw for the second round of the DFB-Pokal will take place on 5 September, with German broadcaster ARD airing the draw from 5:45pm. Darmstadt return to Bundesliga 2 action on Sunday at 1:30pm, when they host Hannover 96 at home.
The match in Jena was watched by 13,296 spectators and refereed by Haslberger. Jena's Reddemann and Lankford also received yellow cards during the contest.
