Hannover 96’s dominant cup victory lifts early‑season frustration

Hannover 96 eliminated SV Hemelingen 9‑1 in the second Runde of the DFB‑Pokal on Samstag, Stand: 22.08.2026, a sovereign performance that washed away the Frust of the two Auftaktpleiten in the Zweiten Liga and lifted the Seele of the Niedersachsen side in front of roughly 13 000 Zuschauern.

Dominant display at Weserstadion

The match unfolded at the Weserstadion of Werder Bremen, where the Niedersachsen side took a 6‑0 lead by halftime. Stefan Thordarson scored in the 5th and 19th minutes, Lars Gindorf added three before the break, and Marcel Hartel struck in the 16th minute, delivering the early Tore.

Benedikt Pichler doubled the tally with goals in the 21st and 88th minutes, while Taycan Etcibasi sealed the result with a stoppage‑time strike in the 90+1 minute. Hemelingen’s lone honour came from Ledjon Fikaj in the 56th minute, completing the 9‑1 scoreline.

From first‑round woes to future fixtures

The defeated side, an Oberligist, had previously suffered a 0‑9 drubbing at the same venue against VfL Wolfsburg last season, underscoring the gap between the clubs.

Nach drei DFB‑Pokal‑Erstrundenspiel‑Pleiten the Niedersachsen finally completed the Pflichtaufgabe SV Hemelingen souverän. The victory moves Hannover into the second round, with the draw scheduled for Samstag, 5 September at 18 Uhr in the Sportschau.

The team now turns its focus to the Zweiten Liga, where trainer Christian Titz’s squad hosts SV Darmstadt 98 on Sonntag at 13.30 Uhr, broadcast live from the NDR Livecenter. The club hopes to improve its Chancenverwertung after the two opening defeats.

Das Ergebnis shows that, despite the dominant display, Hannover acknowledges a sharper finish in the second half could have produced an even larger margin, a point they will carry into the upcoming fixtures.