Schalke, Berlin advance in German Cup

Berlin, Aug 15: Schalke secured their progression with a 2-0 victory over BFC Dynamo, while Hertha Berlin carved out a 2-0 win at Hansa Rostock in the first round in the German Cup football tournament.

Schalke on Monday booked their berth for the second round as Yevhen Konoplyanka provided a brace to edge lower league side BFC Dynamo, reports Xinhua news agency.

The visitors had a good start but were unable to break the deadlock against resilient Dynamo, who almost shocked the top-flight team with the opener in the 38th minute but Matthias Steinborn failed to beat Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Faehrmann in a one-on-one.

The hosts created another promising chance after the break as David Kamm Al-Azzawe tested Faehrmann with a dangerous header in the 51st minute.

As the match progressed, Schalke took over and punished Dynamo's wastefulness after Konoplyanka completed a fast break from 15 metres in the 78th minute.

Schalke kept it coming and doubled the lead to make the game safe as Konoplyanka wrapped up his brace following another counter-attack in the dying minutes of the game.

Elsewhere, Hertha Berlin secured their berth for the next round after overcoming lower league club Hansa Rostock 2-0.

Hertha needed 86 minutes to break the deadlock as Mitchel Weiser capitalised on a corner to volley home the 1-0 lead before Vedad Ibisevic sealed the deal in the closing period.