It all started according to plan for FC Bayern. As overwhelming favourites, the record cup winners hosted Bundesliga 2 side 1. FC Heidenheim in the DFB Cup quarter-finals on 3 April 2019. FCB were warned, though, after the underdogs had knocked out Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the previous round. The Munich men justified their status in just the 12th minute, going in front through Leon Goretzka – but then there was a crucial twist in the plot.
Man down for 75 minutes
There was a quarter of an hour on the clock when Niklas Süle fouled Heidenheim midfielder Robert Andrich as he was running through just outside the penalty area. Referee Guido Winkmann, after intervention from the VAR, decided it was a professional foul and gave the Bayern defender his marching orders. With a numerical advantage, the visitors turned things around and led after goals from Robert Glatzel (26') and Marc Schnatterer (39').
Schmidt and Vestenbergsgreuth
"We certainly didn't play well after the sending-off," admitted Thomas Müller afterwards. Bayern came under pressure, from a team who knew a thing or two about cup upsets. Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt, who's now led his hometown club from the fourth division to the Bundesliga, previously came up against FCB in this competition as a player. As a centre-back for TSV Vestenbergsgreuth, Schmidt helped the regional league outfit to complete a sensational 1-0 success against Bayern in August 1994. Was he about to stun FCB in the cup for a second time?
No, was the response from Müller. Eight minutes into the second half, the Bayern stalwart netted a delightful equaliser with a volley on the turn. His teammates took that momentum forward and went 4-2 up thanks to goals from substitute Robert Lewandowski (56') and Serge Gnabry (65'). But anyone who thought the game was over was mistaken: in the space of just four minutes, Glatzel netted two more times (74', 77' pen) to bring Heidenheim back to the brink of a shock.
'Never experienced a match like it'
"I've never experienced a match like it," said then FCB coach Niko Kovač, struggling to summarise it. Luckily from his point of view, though, the contest had one final turning point to offer. "We had that bit of luck at the end that you need in the cup," explained Kovač. After Denis Thomalla missed the chance for a winner for the visitors in the 82nd minute, Lewandowski converted a penalty just two minutes later at the other end to send Bayern through to the semi-finals. The two teams meet again in the Allianz Arena this Saturday (15:30 CET) – it'll be interesting to see if it's as high-scoring again.
The facts ahead of Saturday's clash:
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