Eintracht Frankfurt secured their place in the second round of the DFB-Pokal on August 21 with a historic 11-0 victory against fifth-tier SC St. Tönis at the Grotenburg-Stadion in Krefeld.
The Bundesliga side established a 10-0 advantage before the interval, setting a new record for the largest first-half lead in the history of the competition.
Jonathan Burkardt opened the scoring in the fourth minute before adding two more goals in the 29th and 41st minutes to complete a first-half hat-trick. Team captain Robin Koch doubled the lead in the tenth minute, and Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab scored a third in the 17th minute.
Can Uzun scored twice in quick succession in the 34th and 36th minutes. Elias Baum added an eighth goal in the 44th minute, before Younes Ebnoutalib and Mario Götze both struck in the 45th minute to close a dominant first half. Substitute Fares Chaibi completed the scoring in the 87th minute.
Record scoreline and tournament history
The 11-0 result marks the largest victory in DFB-Pokal history for Eintracht Frankfurt, surpassing a 50-year club record established during a 10-2 win against Hertha Zehlendorf.
Frankfurt broke the previous competition record for a first-half lead, which stood at 10-1. However, the overall DFB-Pokal victory record remains held by Bayern Munich, who beat DJK Waldberg 16-1 in 1997. The all-time national cup record belongs to Stuttgarter Kickers, who defeated VfB Knielingen 17-0 in 1941 during the Tschammer-Pokal era.
The DFB-Pokal is Germany's primary knock-out cup competition, bringing together 64 clubs from the Bundesliga down to regional amateur leagues. SC St. Tönis compete as a fifth-division amateur side, whereas Frankfurt compete in the top flight.
Squad changes and match details
Frankfurt achieved the victory without Hugo Larsson and Ritsu Doan, who missed out due to muscular complaints. Arthur Theate and Elye Wahi were also left out of the squad as potential transfer candidates.
Burkardt maintained his strong goalscoring form from pre-season preparations, while Uzun demonstrated technical quality on the ball and Keita Kosugi put in a sustained effort. Ebnoutalib led the line as he looks to establish confidence in front of goal.
Managerial substitutions saw Ansgar Knauff replace Baum at half-time, while Fynn Maluze, Chaibi, Jerome Pimpong, and Love Arrhov entered the match in the second half. St. Tönis introduced Suaterna Florez, Esposito, Withofs, Ogbeide, and Dohmen during the match.
Referee Lutz from Poppenhausen officiated the match in front of 10,398 spectators. Baum received the only yellow card of the game for Frankfurt.
Upcoming fixtures and round draw
Eintracht Frankfurt return to action next Saturday at 15:30 for their Bundesliga opener away against Union Berlin.
The draw for the second round of the DFB-Pokal takes place on September 6, with second-round matches scheduled for October 27 and October 28.
