First-round matches of the DFB-Pokal saw Bundesliga sides Hamburger SV and VfL Bochum narrowly avoid upsets against lower-league opponents. Hamburg secured a 2-1 extra-time victory over FK Pirmasens, while Bochum defeated BFC Dynamo 3-1, also after extra time.
The match in Pirmasens proved a challenging encounter for the Bundesliga team. Pirmasens took an early lead through captain Yannick Grieß and it wasn’t until stoppage time that Hamburg managed to equalize with a headed goal from Guilherme Ramos. Ransford Königsdörffer then secured the win for the Hanseatic club with a further goal in extra time.
Bochum’s match in Berlin followed a similar pattern. After Jan Shcherbakovski put BFC Dynamo ahead, Noah Loosli leveled the score for Bochum late in regulation time, forcing the match into extra time. Bochum ultimately prevailed 3-1 in extra time, benefiting from a two-man advantage, with decisive goals from Samuel Bamba and Matus Bero.
Both games were characterized by committed performances from the underdogs, representing the fourth and fifth tiers of German football, who came close to causing significant upsets. Hamburg and Bochum demonstrated periods of struggle and will likely need to improve their performance levels as the season progresses.