Darmstadt fail to land a punch as Freiburg book Pokal passage | OneFootball

As expected, during the early stages of this clash between first and second-tier sides, it would be Freiburg who looked to dominate the early stages. Though it very much seemed that Julian Schuster's men would have to remain patient. 

Niklas Beste should have done better for Die Breisgauer in the 22nd minute, with the wideman in a two-on-two situation alongside Vincenzo Grifo, against Patric Pfeiffer and Marveille Papela. 

Though instead of finding the path of the onrushing Grifo, the ball would find the head of Pfeiffer inside the box. 

Johan Manzambi saw an effort well saved by Marcel Schuhen inside the box in the 39th minute, with Die Lilien looking hard to beat. That would be before the young Swiss midfielder won a penalty just over a minute later after a mazy run into the box. 

The aforementioned Pfeiffer would leave a leg hanging out as Manzambi aimed to progress, before the 20-year-old was brought to the ground. 

The talismanic Grifo would confidently send the ball flying into the top left corner to give Schuster's side a well-deserved lead heading into the break. 

Freiburg would open the second half once again in firm control, with goalscorer Grifo coming close with a curled effort from distance.

The hosts would go on to finally double their lead in the 69th minute via Lucas Höler, who exquisitely dinked the ball over the onrushing Schuhen following an enticing ball from Grifo - the striker played onside by the leg of Darmstadt's Pfeiffer.

The second division side were left with a lot to do to overcome a two-goal deficit on their travels, with the main objective likely to be avoiding embarrassment regarding the scoreline.

Darmstadt's biggest moment of the match would come in the 76th minute, with centre-back Matej Maglica forcing two good saves out of Freiburg's Florian Müller from two successive corners, before forcing Müller into another save from the edge of the box, warning Freiburg that the Lilies weren't quite out of this cup clash.

With Darmstadt looking to halve the deficit, referee Harm Osmers would be sent to the screen for a check on a tackle against Phillip Treu in the box. 

After a mazy run from the fullback, a hanging leg from Sergio Lopez would bring Treu down for another Freiburg penalty, before a powerful strike from Grifo struck the crossbar - denying the winger his third goal contribution of the evening.

Maximilian Eggestein would power the ball home in the 88th minute after a cutting Freiburg break, before the midfielder's effort would be ruled out for offside. And the drama would not stop there, as the aforementioned Maglica would be sent off for a foul on Junior Adamu in the buildup. 

Against the ten men of Darmstadt, Freiburg would see out the remaining minutes with relative ease, booking their place in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals.