Mission accomplished – SVE in next round of DFB Cup
SV Elversberg have overcome their first hurdle in the DFB Cup with a narrow 1:0 defeat of SSV Ulm 1846. Positionless player Felix Keidel became the match winner. However, the match in the Donaustadion was a perfect example of how close things can be in the Cup between two clubs that have a shared history.
It was a mild summer afternoon at the Donaustadion, the stands were nicely filled, and the mood was amped up. For SV Elversberg, it was an opportunity to bounce back quickly after a 0:2 defeat in Bochum on the second day of play. Manager Vincent Wagner made three lineup changes compared with their opening league match: Florian Le Joncour, Lukasz Poreba and Younes Ebnoutalib joined the starting eleven, leaving Maximilian Rohr, Carlo Sickinger and Luca Schnellbacher initially on the bench. Hosts Ulm, under manager Robert Lechleiter, had to regroup after being relegated from the second division and began the match with two changes: Meier and Kahvic replaced Kölle and Becker.
Neither team really took charge of the opening stages. Both teams tiptoed their way into the match, seeking the safety of the midfield rather than immediately heading out into dangerous territory. The match only began to pick up speed some twenty minutes in – with Elversberg the first team to make their mark. In the 24th minute, a pass from Lasse Günther sailed into the penalty box towards a rising Bambasé Conté. His header from a central position missed the goal by just a hair’s breadth. This was the second division team’s first warning signal.
The away team began taking command from this point onwards. Opportunities for Ebnoutalib, Zimmerschied and Conté once again shook Ulm’s foundations. However, SSV’s keeper Christian Ortag – who provided a solid backbone for much of the match – made numerous strong saves. ‘We had to work hard against the ball in the first half, Elversberg are a strong team so we had plenty of woes and struggles to overcome’, Ortag later self-critically said. The half-time score was still 0:0, raising hopes for the home team.
Ulm changed direction in the second half. It was immediately evident that Lechleiter had bolstered his team’s courage in the locker room. They attacked higher up, in some cases forcing Elversberg back into their own half. In the 54th minute, the ball even landed in the net when Lucas Röser fired a through pass home. However, the assistant referee had already raised their flag – a narrow offside that cost the third-division team their lead.
Elversberg had to shake it off, but did not give in. In the 65th minute, an unguarded Lukas Petkov squandered the biggest opportunity so far when he fired a shot from a promising position that sailed over the crossbar. This was representative of the visiting team’s failure to capitalise on opportunities until that point. However, a few minutes later, they turned a new leaf.
The most crucial scene of the evening unfolded in the 72nd minute. A long-distance shot by Tom Zimmerschied was blocked and landed in the penalty box at the feet of Felix Keidel. The substitute winger immediately took two steps forward and fired a powerful shot with his left foot. The ball smashed into the near corner, out of Ortag’s reach. There were celebrations from the approximately 300 SVE fans who had made the trip, and relief on the bench.
Yes, it feels great, I had a few good moments up the front after being substituted on, scoring the goal of course feels fantastic, but to be honest, I should have passed it across instead of shooting myself. So there is still room for improvement
Keidel said modestly after the match.
However, the game was still far from a done deal. Ulm responded with a final attack, buoyed up by their supporters. Opportunities for Dressel and Kölle came to nothing, and a header after a corner narrowly missed. Elversberg also created space that Keidel nearly managed to use to score a second goal, but this time he was denied by Ortag’s strong response – a pass to Conté would have been the better choice.
The final minutes became an open exchange of blows, with Ulm throwing everything up front. However, SVE’s defences – headed by Le Joncour and Pinckert – held firm. ‘Ultimately, you’re left empty-handed’, was Ortag’s dry summary. For Ulm, this narrow 0:1 means they are knocked out of the Cup, whilst Elversberg head into the second round.
The particular importance of this win is down to the clubs’ shared history. Just a few years ago, Elversberg and Ulm were facing each other regularly in the Regionalliga Südwest. These were duels between two ambitious clubs that were both seeking promotion. Elversberg ultimately made the leap up to professional football and established a foothold in the second division. Ulm, on the other hand, suffered a bitter relegation back to the third division.
Elversberg are now through to the next round, but their narrow win shows that the team still have some work to do. Against a third-division team, they failed to capitalise on opportunities, were shaky at points, and had to rely on a positionless player’s skill. However, that is the essence of the Cup: one moment or one goal can be all it takes.
Both teams are now continuing with league matches: Ulm face Duisburg in the third division whilst Elversberg are looking ahead in the 2. Bundesliga. Their next touchstone comes this Friday in the form of 1. FC Kaiserslautern – with an opportunity to up the ante in front of a home crowd.