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Bayern Munich beat Hamburg 1-0 in German Cup
Bayern Munich advanced to the quarterfinals of the German Cup on Wednesday night thanks to 1-0 extra-time victory over Hamburg.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:50 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Munich:
Bayern Munich advanced to the quarterfinals of the German Cup on Wednesday night thanks to 1-0 extra-time victory over Hamburg. The home fans were prepared to provide the spark, and Michael Ballack had his teammates fired up, despite his refusal to make a long-term commitment to the club. The German international midfielder went close to giving his team the lead on the stroke of half-time, but his header was kept out of the top corner by a brilliant save from Hamburg goalkeeper Sacha Kirschstein. Ballack, who is reportedly being targeted by several big European clubs, has a reputation for diving in the box, and Hamburg weren't pleased to see him try and unfairly win a penalty kick midway through the second half. Feisty contest The game was a feisty contest throughout, with few moments of quality. But Ballack so very nearly won it 10 minutes from full time, only to see his well struck free-kick rebound back off the post, with Lucio firing his follow-up shot over the bar. Ballack couldn't believe his luck, because he had deceived the goalkeeper, only to be denied by the woodwork. So the match went to extra-time, and a moment of brilliance from Owen Hargreaves prevented the dreaded penalty shoot-out. The England international, who came on as an 86th minute substitute, unleashed a terrific 22-yard strike which went past Kirschstein before he could react. So, a wonderful year for Bayern Munich ended on a high, as they booked a German Cup quarterfinal berth. They also have a six-point buffer over second placed Hamburg in the Bundesliga, which resumes after a six-week mid-season break on January 27. (AP)Topics mentioned in this article
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