Bielefeld coach criticizes cup exit: 'Not mentally present'

Arminia Bielefeld's DFB-Pokal journey ended abruptly in the first round with a penalty shootout loss to underdog SG Sonnenhof Großaspach, a result that left head coach Oliver Kirch deeply critical of his team's performance.

"We were not mentally present," Kirch stated after the 5-4 penalty defeat, calling the early exit a "big damper" for the team and himself. He expressed being "really angry and disappointed" for the first time with his squad, highlighting their failure to transition from an underdog role to that of a favorite. Kirch lamented that no individual player performed at their normal level, describing the entire team's effort as insufficient.

The match, which ended 2-2 after regular time and extra time, saw Bielefeld miss three crucial penalties. Maximilian Bauer and Tim Handwerker had their shots saved by Großaspach's goalkeeper Maximilian Reule, while Roberts Uldrikis shot over the bar. This sequence of misses sealed their fate after all three of Großaspach's initial penalty takers successfully converted.

Captain Maximilian Bauer summed up the day as a "shitty day." Striker Joel Grodowski acknowledged the poor penalty execution. The team, which started the second division season with two wins, now looks to rebound in their upcoming match against 1. FC Nürnberg.