Second-half goals from Arne Feick and Marc Schnatterer were enough for Heidenheim to make the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals at the expense of Erzgebirge Aue.
First-half fails to excite
Given the fact that these two met on the final day of the 2. Bundesliga season last term, and that draw sent Aue down to the third tier, it was always going to be a feisty affair. It was the hosts that were making all the early running early on and Andreas Vogalsammer was forced to clear Mario Kvesic's effort off the line, but not before he had blazed over moments before.
Heidenheim had gone into their shell and rarely ventured forward, knowing that an historic berth in the quarter-finals was on the line. Calogero Rizzuto's free-kick would provide the next chance of the game, as it found Steve Breitkreuz in the area. Unfortunately for the Violets, he couldn't apply the finish from 12 yards out. That was the only real effort of note after the initial flurry of opportunities, with the game level at the break.
Substitutions make the difference
At the start of the second half, Ben Halloran and Marc Schnatterer came on to devastating effect. Just three minutes later, Feick gave Heidenheim the lead. Schnatterer's corner was met be the left-back from close range, and he made absolutely no mistake in heading home to dampen the home spirits.
Only five minutes later and Heidenheim were full control. Adriano Grimaldi's header found Halloran, who then crossed for Schnatterer. It was perhaps poetic that he was the man to seal their place in the quarters for the first time, having helped them advance through the divisions. Aue did their best to fight back into the game, but any possible revenge would have to wait a little bit longer - their cup adventure was over.