Fourth-tier Jeddeloh II's DFB-Pokal fairytale ends 0-2 to Hertha BSC in the second round

SSV Jeddeloh II's run through this season's DFB-Pokal is over, but it will not be forgotten quickly in Oldenburg. The Regionalliga Nord side, playing in Germany's fourth tier, held second-tier Hertha BSC scoreless for almost an hour before two goals in six minutes — Josip Brekalo in the 57th and Julian Eitschberger in the 63rd — settled a second-round tie that had briefly looked like turning into the upset of the round.

The first fourth-tier side to get this far

Jeddeloh had already written themselves into the competition's history books before kick-off. Their 5-2 win over 2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Heidenheim in the first round — Kamer Krasniqi equalising inside two minutes of falling behind, Haris Hyseni scoring twice either side of a missed Heidenheim penalty, and Tim Janßen adding a fifth — made them the first team from Germany's fourth division to reach the DFB-Pokal's second round. Hertha BSC, two divisions above them, were a far tougher proposition, and arrived as the side that had needed penalties just to get past 1. FC Saarbrücken in round one.

A goalless first half, then two goals in six minutes

The match stayed scoreless into the second half, Jeddeloh's back three and the 53acht-Arena crowd doing their job against a Hertha side that dominated the ball without finding an early breakthrough. The dam broke just after the hour: Brekalo put Hertha ahead in the 57th minute, and Eitschberger doubled the lead six minutes later. Jeddeloh's Fynn Luca Friedrichs picked up the game's only card, a yellow in the 68th, as the home side pushed for a way back in that never arrived.

The gulf in the underlying numbers tells its own story: 14 corners to one, and not a single shot on target for the home side all night. What the scoreline does not show is how long Jeddeloh kept Hertha at arm's length — a goalless half against a club two divisions above them, from a side that had never been this far in the competition in its history.

Line-ups

• SSV Jeddeloh II (3-4-2-1): Onken — Siala, Friedrichs, von Aschwege — Taguchi, Krolikowski, Kanowski, Steinwender — Bothe, Krasniqi — Brinkmann

• Hertha BSC (4-2-3-1): Gersbeck — Kolbe, Gechter, Pedersen, Eitschberger — Gouram, Sessa — Seguin, Gronning, Brekalo — Alfa-Ruprecht

What's next

Hertha BSC advance to the DFB-Pokal Round of 16, to be played on 1-2 December 2026. The draw for that round has not yet taken place. For SSV Jeddeloh II, the cup run ends here, but a historic one: no fourth-tier club had reached the second round before this season, and they got there by eliminating a 2. Bundesliga opponent along the way.