LEIPZIG: RB Leipzig’s Lois Openda scored twice in an emphatic 3-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Cup round of 16 on Wednesday to snap their six-game winless run across all competitions.

Leipzig, who had lost five of their last six matches including their last three, bounced back from Saturday’s 5-1 home loss to VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.

The victory also offered much-needed relief for embattled coach Marco Rose whose team last won on Oct 29.

The hosts, who entertain Aston Villa in the Champions League next week, took the lead with Benjamin Sesko’s sublime run and finish in the box after good early work from Antonio Nusa in the 31st minute.

Nusa then delivered another assist with a perfectly timed cutback for Openda to tap in four minutes after the restart with Eintracht, in second place in the Bundesliga, unable to come back.

The 24-year-old Belgium international then fired in from 20 metres for his second goal of the evening just before the hour mark as the Cup winners of 2022 and 2023 advanced to the last eight.

Earlier, a 121st-minute Dejan Ljubicic penalty took Cologne to a 2-1 win over 10-man Hertha Berlin.

Hertha took the lead early when Ibrahim Maza converted a penalty after Derry Scherhant was felled in the box.

Berlin’s hopes took a hit soon after when Deyovaisio Zeefuik was red carded for a headbutt in the 25th minute.

The visitors equalised five minutes later when Florian Niederlechner scored an own goal from a Cologne corner.

With scores locked at 1-1, the match went to extra time.

Ljubicic missed a sitter inches from goal on the 100th-minute mark but made good on his error, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, with penalties looming, to book Cologne’s place in the last eight.

VfL Wolfsburg, the 2015 winners, beat Hoffenheim 3-0 at home thanks to three goals in 22 second-half minutes.

Scoreless at half-time, Denis Vavro and Jonas Wind scored within four minutes of each other midway through the second half, before Yannick Gerhardt added a third to seal the game in the dying stages.

Augsburg beat second-division Karlsruhe 5-4 on penalties away after visiting midfielder Ruben Vargas scored in the 123rd minute to level the scores at 2-2.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2024