Eintracht Frankfurt’s forward Hugo Ekitiké scored two goals to lead his team to a 4-1 victory against Eintracht Braunschweig in the first round of the German Cup. After a goalless first half, Frankfurt broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute with a goal from Fares Chaibi off a cross from Ekitiké. Ekitiké then scored two quick goals in the 56th and 61st minutes to double their lead. Braunschweig had a goal ruled out for offside before Igor Matanovic sealed the win with a goal in the 88th minute. Braunschweig managed to pull one back through Levente Szabo in the final minutes.
Ekitiké expressed satisfaction with his performance, stating that scoring the first goal made it easier for him to score the second. He highlighted the importance of starting the season with a win in the Cup game before facing a tough opponent in the league. Werder Bremen also secured a win with Keke Topp scoring a hat-trick against Energie Cottbus, while VfL Wolfsburg narrowly beat TuS Koblenz. Second division team Magdeburg suffered a 2-1 defeat to fourth division club Kickers Offenbach, while Bochum was the only Bundesliga club eliminated from the Cup in the first round.
Title holders Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart will play their first round matches the following week after contesting the German Super Cup. The results of Monday’s matches showed a mix of upsets and dominant performances in the first round of the German Cup.
