dpa
Berlin
Borussia Dortmund’s crisis deepened on Tuesday when they crashed out of the German Cup with a 1-0 second round defeat in extra time at Wolfsburg.
Jonas Wind grabbed the winner in the 117th minute which handed Dortmund a third defeat in eight days, following a 5-2 Champions League meltdown at Real Madrid and a 2-1 Bundesliga defeat in Augsburg.
“Losing three times in a row away is bad. More was possible. We had some good moments. These tight games are often decided by one goal and we didn’t manage to score it,” Dortmund midfielder Pascal Gross told Sky TV.
Title holders Bayer Leverkusen meanwhile beat second division Elversberg, twice Cup winners RB Leipzig prevailed 4-2 over St Pauli Hamburg, and VfB Stuttgart edged last season’s finalists Kaiserslautern 2-1.
More agony for Dortmund Beleaguered Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin had to make do with a depleted squad due to a string of injuries but they almost took the lead when Maximilian Beier hit the post.
Dortmund were lucky when Felix Nmacha was not sent off after the break for a foul on Patrick Wimmer, with VAR only in place from the third round.
Substitute Tiago Tomas hit the top of the bar for Wolfsburg early in extra time before Wind fired the late winner into the left corner after Dortmund failed to clear a cross.
The defeat will put even more pressure on Sahin as Dortmund suffered their earliest Cup exit in 14 years and have also had their worst start into a Bundesliga season in a decade.
“The relationship with the coach is good. We are working very hard every day,” Gross said.
Leverkusen cruise Elversberg stunned Leverkusen in the first round in 2022 but any chance of another upset ended quickly because Patrik Schick struck at the near post two minutes into the game and tapped the second in the ninth.
Aleix Garcia wrapped up matters with a stunning curling free-kick into the top corner in the 36th.
“We could have had a bit more control after the break but we have advanced,” said Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes, who was happy with a rare clean sheet.
Poulsen brace for Leipzig In Leipzig, veteran forward Yussuf Poulsen opened the scoring for the injury-hit hosts from short range in the 12th, and Christoph Baumgartner headed the second five minutes later.
St Pauli were back in the game from Morgan Guilavogui’s shot into the far corner where goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt, in for the injured Peter Gulacsi, should have done better.
Poulsen restored the two-goal lead on the counter after half an hour, Eric Smith hauled the visitors back again within one in the 59th with Vandevoordt not looking good again but substitute Antonio Nusa wrapped up matters with 10 minutes left.
Stuttgart labour Nick Woltemade in the 14th and Chris Führich in the 75th were on target for Stuttgart against Kaiserslautern.
Boris Tomiak got a temporary equalizer for the visitors with a penalty that would have not been given had VAR been in place because Fabian Rieder tripped Marlon Ritter outside the penalty area.
And elsewhere Second division Cologne ousted Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel 3-0, and Augsburg, Jahn Regensburg and Karlsruhe are also into the last 16.
