The first two of a total of eight DFB Cup round of 16 matches were quite the event. There were two second division duels. 1. FC Magdeburg was shocked.

1. FC Kaiserslautern has made it to the quarterfinals of the DFB Cup, giving its new coach Dimitrios Grammozis an ideal debut.

In the atmospheric clash between the traditional clubs, the Palatinate side beat league rivals 1. FC Nürnberg 2-0 (0-0) on Tuesday evening.

Richmond Tachie (75th minute) and Ragnar Ache (78th minute) scored in front of 48,349 spectators in the Fritz Walter Stadium. Kaiserslautern will play in the quarterfinals for the first time in ten years. The guests from Franconia were unable to repeat their cup success from the previous season.

In the first half, the fans saw a weak game, with both teams primarily concerned with safe defense. Kaiserslautern was the slightly more active team, but often tried to play from the second line. Nuremberg’s Christian Mathenia parried one such shot from Marlon Ritter after 21 minutes. The guests were even less dangerous in front of the opposing goal.

That changed after the break. Kaiserslautern goalkeeper Julian Krahl was able to clear a header from Daichi Hayashi following a corner from Taylan Duman just in front of the line (51′). The game then slowed down again, with few big chances on either side.

The Palatinate team then decided the game with a double strike in quick succession. First, Tachie scored after an assist from Jean Zimmer. Then Tachie set up and served Joker Ache, who scored the second goal and had to leave the field injured shortly before the end. The quarter-finals will be played on January 30/31 and February 6/7.

In the quarter-final pot, the ball with Fortuna Düsseldorf will also be represented. And there was actually already the ball with the name 1. FC Magdeburg.

But Jona Niemiec, who was repeatedly linked to third-division club Rot-Weiss Essen last summer and also during the upcoming winter transfer window, scored two goals in the final phase to equalize Magdeburg’s 15th-minute lead through Baris Atik. Niemiec was only substituted on in the 85th minute and scored just 120 seconds later, before the winning goal followed in the second minute of stoppage time.

This means that Fortuna Düsseldorf will be spending the winter in the DFB Cup – and Niemiec will probably continue to play in the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia after the winter break. He not only delivered a good argument for staying in Magdeburg recently.