'A complete flop': Second-tier Bochum knock Mainz out of the German Cup
Mainz became the first Bundesliga club eliminated in the second round of the German Cup. Christian Rasmussen and substitute Philipp Hofmann scored in VfL Bochum's 2-0 win.
Archive image · Photo: Vonovia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de (cropped and resized)
VfL Bochum knocked out the first Bundesliga club in the second round of the German Cup. The second-division side beat Mainz 05 2-0 at the Ruhrstadion on Tuesday night after a goalless first half. Christian Rasmussen scored right after the break in the 46th minute with a shot that Mainz's Kaishu Sano deflected beyond goalkeeper Daniel Schwolow. Substitute Philipp Hofmann sealed it in the 75th, finishing Jarne Steuckers' cross on a counterattack.
It is the fourth straight second-round exit for Mainz. Coach Urs Fischer's team played without captain Nadiem Amiri, who missed the game with knee problems. Mainz had been the only Bundesliga team to win all of its away games this season. Bochum, coached by Uwe Rösler, had taken only two points at home before the match.
"That was a complete flop," sporting director Nico Bungert said, according to dpa. Fischer was equally dismayed: "It's difficult to find the right words for our performance." Bochum advance to the round of 16, which will be drawn on Sunday.