Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy, right, celebrates scoring a goal with teammate Marcel Sabitzer, during the German Cup first-round soccer match between Essen and Borussia Dortmund, at Stadion an der Hafenstrasse in Essen, Germany, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)

Guirassy sends Dortmund through against local rival Essen in German Cup

BERLIN (AP) — Serhou Guirassy fired Borussia Dortmund into the second round of the German Cup with a 1-0 win at nearby Rot-Weiss Essen on Monday.

But Dortmund’s celebrations were muted by a bad tackle from Essen substitute Kelsey Owusu on Yan Couto in stoppage time, when he caught the wing back’s knee with the sole of his boot. Couto was carried off on a stretcher with his hands over his face.

Dortmund was already without injured defenders Niklas Süle, Nico Schlotterbeck and Emre Can. The team opens its Bundesliga campaign at St. Pauli on Saturday.

Guinea star Guirassy took one touch to elude a defender and strike the ball on the turn into the bottom corner in the 79th minute.

The goal came after Essen, the 1955 German champion playing in the third division, carved out a couple of half-chances in what was a meager game for goal opportunities.

Dortmund’s Julian Brand struck the side netting and fellow substitute Jobe Bellingham caused Essen’s defense problems after their introduction in the 64th. It was Bellingham’s first competitive appearance for Dortmund on German soil since his summer move from Sunderland.

Dortmund coach Niko Kovač led Eintracht Frankfurt to the title in 2018 and repeated the feat with Bayern Munich the following year.

Mainz triumphs in Dresden

Nadiem Adli’s brilliant free kick was enough for Mainz to overcome Dynamo Dresden 1-0 earlier.

The former Germany midfielder lifted the ball over the defensive wall and in off the left post in the 22nd minute, the only goal from a game in which second-division club Dresden missed more chances.

Mainz coach Bo Henriksen was sent off late for holding onto the ball as the tension increased in a nervy finale.

Hertha through on penalties

Sebastian Grönning scored the winning spot kick for Hertha Berlin to progress against second-division rival Prueßen Münster 5-3 on penalties after their game ended scoreless with extra time.

The home team had by far the greater chances — 27 shots at goal compared to Hertha’s 11 — but couldn’t make any of them count.

Also, Fortuna Düsseldorf won at third-division Schweinfurt 4-2.

Few surprises

Defending champion Stuttgart and league champion Bayern had their cup games postponed because of their participation in the German Supercup on Saturday. Stuttgart begins its title defense at Eintracht Braunschweig on Aug. 26 with Bayern playing third-division side Wehen Wiesbaden the following day.

There were few shocks in the first round with Werder Bremen the only Bundesliga team to be eliminated. Arminia Bielefeld, which knocked out a host of Bundesliga clubs including Bremen on its way to the final last season, provided one of the few upsets by knocking out Bremen again on Friday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Mainz’ Nadiem Amiri celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the German soccer cup first round match between Dynamo Dresden and FSV Mainz 05 in Dresden, Germany, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
Dresden’s Dominik Kother, rear, and Mainz’ Jae-sung Lee, front, challenge for the ball during the German soccer cup first round match between Dynamo Dresden and FSV Mainz 05 in Dresden, Germany, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
Dresden’s Jakob Lemmer, left, and Mainz’ Arnaud Nordin, right, challenge for the ball during the German soccer cup first round match between Dynamo Dresden and FSV Mainz 05 in Dresden, Germany, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
Hertha’s Mickael Cuisance, right, and Muenster’s Marvin Schulz, left, challenge for the ball during the German soccer cup first round match between Preussen Muenster and Hertha BSC in Muenster, Germany, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via AP)

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