Borussia Dortmund needed a penalty shootout to overcome Hertha Berlin and reach the German Cup quarterfinals for the sixth consecutive year on Wednesday.
\nDortmund sealed a 3-2 victory on penalties when Hertha\u2019s Salomon Kalou sent his spot kick over the bar, after Fabian Lustenberger\u2019s first effort struck the crossbar and then Dortmund \u2018keeper Roman Buerki saved Vladimir Darida\u2019s penalty.
\nChristian Pulisic missed for Dortmund, but Ousmane Dembele, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Gonzalo Castro all converted after the game finished 1-1 following extra time.
\n\u201cWe were missing the punch to decide the game,\u201d Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel said.
\nDortmund was later drawn to play at third-division Sportfreunde Lotte, which is making its first quarterfinal appearance after a series of upsets.
\nDefending champion Bayern Munich will face Schalke at home, while Eintracht Frankfurt hosts second-division Arminia Bielefeld and Hamburger SV welcomes Borussia Moenchengladbach. The games are scheduled for February 28 and March 1.
\nKalou had put Hertha in front inside the first half hour of normal time with the visitors\u2019 third big chance, stretching to volley Niklas Stark\u2019s cross past the helpless Buerki.
\nDortmund leveled after the break when Dembele hit the post, then gathered the rebound and passed to Pulisic, a halftime substitute, who in turn found the better-placed Marco Reus to score.
\nAubameyang thought he\u2019d put Dortmund in front but the goal was ruled out as Hertha goalkeeper Rune Jarstein already had a hand to the ball.
\nDembele came closest with less than 10 minutes remaining when his effort flew just wide of the far post.
\nTuchel brought on Andre Schuerrle for extra time \u2013 his fourth substitute allowed according to a new rule from the third round onward \u2013 but the trend continued with Hertha defending well.
\nDortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos was sent off before the end of extra time with his second yellow card for persistent complaining about his first card, also given for complaining.
\nDortmund is bidding to reach its fourth successive final.
\nHANNOVER 1, EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 2
\nLukas Hradecky saved a penalty from Salif Sane in the sixth minute of injury time to safeguard Frankfurt\u2019s win in a tetchy encounter at second-division Hannover.
\nThe home fans were celebrating when Omar Mascarell conceded the spot kick in the 95th minute but Hradecky guessed the right way and secured the visitors\u2019 progress.
\nMartin Harnik put Hannover ahead after the break but Timothy Chandler crossed for Taleb Tawatha to equalize and Haris Seferovic capitalized on a mistake by Edgar Prib to score what proved to be the winner four minutes later.
\nSV SANDHAUSEN 1, SCHALKE 4
\nThree goals in an eight-minute spell from Alessandro Schoepf, new signing Daniel Caligiuri and Brazilian defender Naldo at the end of the first half set Schalke on its way to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011.
\nAndrew Wooten pulled one back midway through the second half but Schalke substitute Yevhen Konoplyanka sealed the win five minutes later.
\nDutch striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar also came on with four minutes remaining, returning after more than three months out with a right knee injury.
\nSPORTFREUNDE LOTTE 2, 1860 MUNICH 0
\nLotte, which saw off Werder Bremen and then Bayer Leverkusen in the previous rounds, reached the quarterfinals for the first time after yet another upset.
\nGoals in each half from Jaroslaw Lindner and Kevin Freiberger gave the third-division side a well-deserved home win over second-division 1860.
\n\u201cThe lads have to enjoy the party now,\u201d Lotte coach Ismail Atalan said. \u201cNinety or 95 percent of the players won\u2019t experience another day like it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Borussia Dortmund needed a penalty shootout to overcome Hertha Berlin and reach the German Cup quarterfinals for the sixth consecutive year on Wednesday. Dortmund sealed a 3-2 victory on penalties when Hertha\u2019s Salomon Kalou sent his spot kick over the bar, after Fabian Lustenberger\u2019s first effort struck the crossbar and then Dortmund \u2018keeper Roman Buerki […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11898","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n