Hertha BSC booked their place in the second round of the DFB-Pokal thanks to a strong second-half showing against Arminia Bielefeld. Salomon Kalou and Vladimir Darida both scored in the final 20 minutes to seal victory.

Both sides came out with starting elevens not too dissimilar to those which took part in the game in the second round last year. Hertha's star signing, Vladimir Darida, earned a start in central midfield, while Bielefeld made one alteration from their draw with FSV Frankfurt at the weekend. Dennis Mast, who joined permanently this summer, started in place of Michael Görlitz.

Bielefeld started very physically, with Fabian Klos picking up a booked within 80 seconds. The constant free-kick bombardment was tough on the Arminia back-line and they nearly paid the price for some lackadaisical marking. Jens Hegler had a shot blocked moments before he broke clear of his marker and connected with Felix Plattenhardt's free-kick, flashing a header across the face of goal.

Tough start for both sides

It was most definitely a slow burner, although the capital club were enjoying the better possession and territory. Valentin Stocker's cross created havoc in the area and the resulting corner was no better on the home fans' nerves, only for Bielefeld to eventually hack Fabian Lustenburger's header clear.

The fiery nature of the game continued and was only made worse mid-way through the half by an incident that was made worse by over-reaction from both teams. Christian Müller raced through on goal, only to have the ball taken from his toes by Thomas Kraft. The latter was enraged and thought it he should have been awarded a spot-kick, but on his way over to remonstrate with Benjamin Brand he was knocked over by Sebastian Langkamp; a scuffle ensued, resulting in both being booked.

Müller and Klos had the home side's only real chances to run in behind and challenge Kraft, though neither made the post of either chance. The Dutch forward had a header that flew well-over in the half's final effort. Plenty of talking points and hefty challenges but a severe lack of chances.

Opportunities in abundance for Hertha

Hertha came out in the second half looking to change that immediately and, to their credit, forced Wolfgang Hesl into two early saves. Stocker had a well-struck shot palmed away before the former Greuther Fürth pulled off a fantastic reaction stop from Langkamp's bullet header. Unfortunately the constant fouls had not left the game, with both Darida and Mast seeing yellow.

Mast quickly redeemed himself and put in a vital block to stop Salomon Kalou scoring a tap in at the back post. Tom Schütz finally responded with Bielefeld's first shot on target in the match, striking a half volley down the throat of Kraft. Christoph Hemlein came up with an even better effort moments later, forcing the Hertha stopper into an excellent save at his near post.

Kalou and Darida kill off Arminia's hopes

The tide was beginning to turn but, just as Arminia had build up a head of steam, they found themselves behind. Nico Schulz had only been on the pitch for six minutes and he provided the inspiration and fresh legs behind the opener. He picked up the ball in midfield and played a clever one-two with Darida before bursting into the box and squaring for Kalou. The Ivorian gleefully tapped into an open net and sent the travelling support wild.

Arminia threw bodies forward, hopeful of find an equaliser but it was just too much to ask of the 2. Bundesliga side. To compound the hosts' misery, Darida popped up with a fantastic second goal - curling the ball past the helpless Hesl to seal their passage into the next round.

Their goal drought continues but the performance will fill them full of hope as they take on MSV Duisburg this weekend. For Hertha, it's a great start to the campaign and they'll be keen to show this steely determination in their Bundesliga opener against FC Augsburg.

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About the author
Jonathan Walsh
SoccerSight IFA commentator. VAVEL deputy editor-in-chief/VAVEL Bundesliga editor-in-chief and writer. Email: [email protected]