Randal Kolo Muani scored two and made another as Eintracht Frankfurt survived a scare against Bundesliga 2 leaders Darmstadt to reach the DFB Cup quarter-finals.

Eintracht Frankfurt 4-2 Darmstadt

Goals: 1-0 Kolo Muani 6’ (assist: Buta), 1-1 Honsak 29’ (assist: Mehlem), 1-2 Honsak 31’ (assist: Schnellhardt), 2-2 Borre 44’ (assist: Götze), 3-2 Kamada 62’ (assist: Kolo Muani), 4-2 Kolo Muani 90' (assist: Götze)

Frankfurt weathered an early storm as Darmstadt’s Mathias Honsak went within a whisker of turning in Marvin Mehlem’s right-wing cross. Eintracht showed the Lilies how it was done moments later when the irrepressible Kolo Muani headed in from Aurelio Buta for his 13th competitive goal of the season. Buta went for a quick-one two, but Rafael Borre blazed the Frankfurt right-back’s cross over. After Marcel Schuhen pulled off a point-blank save from Mario Götze, Darmstadt stunned the vociferous home crowd with two well-taken goals in as many minutes through Mathias Honsak. Phillip Tietz missed the chance to add a third, and was punished when Borre put away Götze’s smart lay-off on the stroke of half time.

Frankfurt carried the greater threat in the second half as Sebastian Rode flashed a diving header just wide, before Daichi Kamada collected from Kolo Muani and arrowed a superb outside-of-the-boot finish into the far corner from fully 20 yards. Darmstadt responded in kind, with Tietz striking the woodwork and an offside flag denying Mehlem after Kevin Trapp had saved from Tobias Kempe. Buta was played through on goal by Götze as the contest opened up, but failed to make a clean connection with his attempted shot. Kolo Muani took advantage of tired Darmstadt legs to complete his brace and secure Frankfurt's passage to the last eight, where the likes of Bayern Munich, holders RB Leipzig and Freiburg await.

Match stats

• Kolo Muani has three goals and as many assists in this season's DFB Cup.
• Kamada also has three cup goals this term.
• Borre scored his third goal of the season in all competitions.
• Only Bayern (20) and Werder Bremen (six) have won the DFB Cup more often than Frankfurt (five), with their most recent title in 2018.
• Frankfurt have reached the semi-finals or better in three of the last six seasons.
• This was Darmstadt’s eighth appearance in the DFB Cup last 16. They have only progressed to the quarter-finals once (in 1986/87).

Teams

Frankfurt: Trapp – Tuta, Hasebe, Ndicka (Smolcic 46') – Buta (Knauff 82'), Rode (c) (Sow 70'), Kamada, Max (Lenz 90'+2) – Götze – Borre (Jakic 90'+2), Kolo Muani
Unused subs: Ramaj, Chandler, Alario, Alidou
Out: Dina Ebimbe (ankle), Lindstrom (thigh), Wenig (metatarsal)
Coach: Oliver Glasner

Darmstadt: Schuhen - Müller, Zimmermann, Karic (Bennetts 90'+3), Holland (c) - Ronstadt, Schnellhardt (Manu 73'), Kempe, Honsak (Torsiello 90'+3), Mehlem - Tietz (Vilhelmsson 73')
Unused subs: Brunst, Isherwood, Ben Balla, Riedel, Stojilkovic
Out: Bader (operation), Gjasula (adductor), Pfeiffer (muscular), Seydel (tendon)
Coach: Torsten Lieberknecht

As it happened

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