Elversberg came from behind to beat MSV Duisburg 3:1 in the Round of 64 of the German Cup on Friday evening at MSV Arena. The visitors turned a half-time deficit into a comfortable victory, with goals from Luca Schnellbacher, Lex-Tyger Lobinger, Francis Onyeka and Felix Keidel. The result sends Elversberg into the fifth round while Duisburg's campaign ends.
Schnellbacher gave Elversberg the lead in the thirty-eighth minute, but Duisburg equalised through Lobinger just after the break. By then the match had settled into a rhythm where Elversberg controlled the tempo. They pushed forward with purpose, and here's the thing — they never looked back once they took the lead.
The turning point came in the sixty-ninth minute when Elversberg made five substitutions in quick succession. Conor Noß, Luca Schnellbacher, Noah Darvich, Patrick Sussek and Lex-Tyger Lobinger were all replaced together. The changes shifted the game, and Onyeka scored in the eighty-eighth minute to extend the advantage. Duisburg had no answer.
Keidel added a late goal in the ninety-first minute after coming on as a substitute himself. He had been booked in the seventy-first minute, then replaced at the death before scoring. Elversberg saw it out without further incident, having turned a fragile position into a convincing win.
Elversberg dominated possession at 61 per cent and created more chances, with four big chances compared to Duisburg's two. The visitors registered six shots on target to three, while their expected goals of 1.61 dwarfed Duisburg's 1.23. Both sides had one yellow card each, and the shot accuracy figures tell their own story — Elversberg hit 40 per cent of their attempts on target.
For Duisburg, who had won four of their last five matches, this defeat ends their cup hopes. Elversberg move on with momentum, having shown they can adapt and respond when the game demands it. The result puts them one step away from the last sixteen.