Brandt’s double helps Dortmund pip Moenchengladbach in German Cup

Julian Brandt scored two goals in three minutes to propel Borussia Dortmund into the German Cup last 16 with a 2-1 comeback victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday.

After a dour opening, the game came to life in the 71st minute when Gladbach’s Marcus Thuram headed home from close range to put the visitors 1-0 up.

Discovering a sudden urgency, Dortmund went on the attack, equalising in the 77th minute after a shot from Brandt was deflected past Gladbach keeper Yann Sommer.

The home side scored the winner just three minutes later, with Brandt heading a cross from Thorgan Hazard into the bottom left of the net.

RB Leipzig demolished Wolfsburg 6-1 after a second-half exhibition featuring four goals in 13 minutes from the visiting side.

Leipzig trail Wolfsburg by two points in the Bundesliga but grabbed the lead on 13 minutes in their last-32 tie courtesy of an own goal by Dutch defender Jeffrey Bruma.

Marcel Sabitzer scored Leipzig’s second in the 55th minute and opened the floodgates, with goals from Emil Forsberg, Konrad Laimer and Timo Werner padding the score out to 5-0.

Germany forward Werner struck again in the 88th minute before Wolfsburg got a consolation goal from Wout Weghorst.

Elsewhere, Werder Bremen dominated second division side Heidenheim, winning 4-1.

Milot Rashica scored after just six minutes, with Leonardo Bittencourt and Davy Klaassen adding two more before the game had reached 20 minutes.

Austrian defender Marco Friedl added a fourth in the 41st minute, before Heidenheim’s Marc Schnatterer converted a penalty in first-half injury time.

Amateur side SC Verl continued their miraculous German Cup run, advancing to the last 16 after defeating second-division Holsten Kiel 8-7 in a penalty shootout.

Home side Verl, who play in the fourth division of German football, equalised in the 45th minute through Nico Hecker after Kiel opened the scoring in the 13th minute through Janni Luca Serra.

Both sides converted each of their five penalties, with the shootout eventually going to its ninth round. Verl’s Zlatko Janjic scored from the spot, before Kiel’s Phil Neumann failed to convert to send the minnows through.

Verl had defeated Bundesliga side Augsburg in their first-round fixture.

In another match decided by a penalty shootout, two-time German Cup winners Kaiserslauten won 6-5 over Nuremberg, after the score finished 2-2 following extra time.

Agence France-Presse