Hertha BSC and Hamburger SV put on an exhilarating cup showdown under the floodlights at Berlin's Olympiastadion. After a thrilling 120 minutes, the score stood at 3-3. In the nail-biting penalty shootout, it was Tjark Ernst's heroics as goalkeeper and Fabian Reese's cool finish that propelled Hertha BSC to a 5-3 victory and their first appearance in the DFB Cup quarter-finals since 2016.
Coach Pal Dardai's men turned in an impressive performance, holding their opponents at bay until Fabian Reese broke the deadlock with a beautifully taken goal. Despite Hertha's dominance in possession, it took a moment of individual brilliance to break the deadlock. The Hamburgers, however, showed resilience and drew level through a well-worked goal by Immanuel Pherai, and later through Laszlo Benes and Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer.
In the second half, both sides stepped up their game, with Hamburg dealt a blow when goalkeeper Matheo Raab was forced off with an injury and replaced by Daniel Heuer Fernandes. Hertha's Jonjoe Kenny equalized in extra time to set up a tense penalty shootout.
Ernst proved to be the hero of the night when he saved Königsdörffer's spot-kick, giving Reese the chance to secure victory for Hertha BSC. The Kiel-born attacker took his opportunity with aplomb, sending the visitors packing and putting Hertha one step closer to a historic final appearance at their home Olympiastadion in May 2023.
With this win, Hertha continues to make waves in Germany's cup competition, having not reached the quarter-finals since the 2015/2016 season. While Hamburger SV will be left to lament what could have been, Chief Coach Pal Dardai and his team can dream big as they look to reach new heights in the DFB Cup.
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Enrichment Data: It is worth noting that Hertha BSC did not, in fact, reach the DFB Cup quarter-finals as the original article suggested. Instead, it was Hamburger SV who emerged victorious in the second round of the DFB Cup, defeating Hertha 3-2. The key players in the match were Fabian Reese and Jonjoe Kenny for Hertha BSC, while Selke, Königsdörffer, and Sahiti were instrumental in Hamburg's victory.
