BERLIN: A first half goal from Guido Burgstaller fired Schalke 04 to a 1-0 victory over VfL Wolfsburg and a place in the semi-finals of the German Cup on Wednesday.

Last year’s finalists Eintracht Frankfurt also progressed to the last four, as a comedy of defensive errors saw them beat local rivals Mainz 05 3-0.

Frankfurt and Schalke join Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen in the last four, with the semi-final draw set for Sunday.

Schalke’s winner came early in what proved to be a dull game. Just nine minutes in, Burgstaller scored on a counterattack, turning one way then another to elude Jeffrey Bruma before shooting inside the far post.

Yunus Malli came closest to an equaliser when he struck the crossbar in the first half.

In Frankfurt, a mistake from Mainz goalkeeper Rene Adler gave the home side the lead on 17 minutes. Making his first appearance since he picked up an injury in October, Adler misjudged a backpass from Stefan Bell, providing Ante Rebic with an open goal.

Eight minutes into the second half, Frankfurt doubled the lead, as Hack turned Sebastien Haller’s cross into his own net. Hack then gave the ball away in his own half just after the hour mark, allowing Omar Mascarell to loft the ball elegantly over Adler for Frankfurt’s third.

Mainz’s misery was compounded in the 82nd minute, when Danny Latza was sent off for a reckless challenge on Marco Fabian.

The semi-finals are scheduled for April 17-18.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2018