Gladbach edge past Karlsruhe in tense cup tie | OneFootball

With over 5,000 Karlsruhe supporters making the trip from Baden, the visitors got off to the worst possible start, as Shuto Machino gave Gladbach the lead after just three minutes. 

Haris Tabakovovic slipped the ball across the box before the Japanese forward hammered home into the roof of the net - taking advantage of a nervy KSC start. 

With the hosts on fire in the early stages, they were looking to take their frustrations out on their second-tier opposition, while Karlsruhe head coach Christian Eichner cut an unhappy figure on the touchline. 

The visitors did, though, manage to find some control, with club icon Marvin Wanitzek forcing a decent stop out of Moritz Nicolas in the 28th minute via a low effort from distance. From the following corner, David Herold slammed home from close range following a bundle in the box, though the whistle had already gone for a handball against Christoph Kobald. 

The visitors' biggest moment of the first half, though, undoubtedly came via Lilian Egloff.

Machino, so lively in the first half for Gladbach, sent an awful backpass straight into the path of the ex-Stuttgart midfielder, who raced through one-on-one before firing the ball straight into the midriff of Nicolas - a chance that will give Egloff nightmares.

The two sides met in the 1960 DFB-Pokal final, with Gladbach claiming their first of three titles. And it looked as if it would be the Foals who would go on to claim victory tonight, when Nicol Elvedi sent a tremendous header into the back of the net from a lovely Kevin Stöger corner - sending Gladbach into a 2-0 lead in the 51st minute. 

Though the tie was not quite done there, as KSC looked to capitalise on the vulnerabilities of a Gladbach side without a home win in seven months.

Wanitzek sent a delicious ball towards the back post for Rafael Pinto Pedrosa to force a save out of Nicolas, before veteran Fabian Schleusener rammed home from close range, dragging Karlsruhe back into what had been a sensational cup tie thus far - over half an hour remained on the clock as the visitors searched for an equaliser.

Haris Tabakovic missed a huge chance to restore Gladbach's two-goal lead in the 69th minute, after sending an effort wide inside the box following a neat ball across the box, giving KSC further belief.

However, the visitors would continue to run out of steam when compared to their top-flight opponents, with Eichner's side failing to create a real chance of note throughout the encounter's final stages.

After failing to wrap up the encounter in the 88th minute through a huge miss, Tabakovic learned his lesson by sliding home from a one-on-one scenario to beat Bernat - wrapping up the tie for Gladbach in the process. 

Seeing out the tie, the Foals won on home soil for the first time since beating RB Leipzig in March, qualifying for the third round of the DFB-Pokal in the process. 

Gladbach turn their attention to a trip to St. Pauli at the weekend, where they will aim to pick up their first Bundesliga win of the season, while Karlsruhe welcome 2. Liga leaders Schalke to Baden.