Bayern suffer worst-ever GC defeat in 5-0 shock at Gladbach

Borussia Moenchengladbach scored three times in the first 21 minutes as they handed record winners Bayern Munich a worst ever German Cup defeat with an extraordinary 5-0 scoreline in the second round on Wednesday.

Kouadio Kone opened the scoring in the second minute with a low drive before Ramy Bensabiani was on target in the 15th into the bottom left corner, and with a 21st-minute penalty for the rampant hosts.

After setting up the first and third goal, Breel Embolo wrapped up matters against out-of-sorts Bayern himself in the 51st between the legs of Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, and in the 57th in off the far right post.

"It is shocking. It was a collective blackout. I have no explanation for this," Bayern board member sport Hasan Salihamidzic told broadcasters ARD after the humiliation.

Gladbach sports director Max Eberl said "the night will surely become part of Borussia Moenchengladbach's history" and Embolo added "It stimulated us that Bayern are arguably the best team in the world."

Gladbach ousted Bayern for the first time in the competition in the teams' seventh meeting.

The 20-time winners Bayern have never been beaten with such a margin before in the competition, their worst loss until then 5-1 in Cologne in a second-leg quarter-final in 1972.

It was also their biggest defeat in a domestic game in 43 years since a 7-1 Bundesliga meltdown at Fortuna Dusseldorf in December 1978.

Bayern defenders Dayot Upamecano, who turned 23 on the day, and Lucas Hernandez, who had a prison term for violating a restraining order in Spain turned into a suspended sentence, had a day to forget and were never able to cope with Gladbach's attack.

Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann was still absent after testing positive for the coronavirus last week, with assistant Dino Toppmoeller in charge again of the Bundesliga champions who were even denied a consolation goal from Corentin Tolisso by the crossbar.

Bayer Leverkusen also went out, crashing 2-1 at home against second-division Karlsruhe.

The visitors had a dream start from Lucas Cueto's fifth-minute tap-in, and after a temporary equalizer from Jeremie Frimpong a howler eight minutes later from goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky gifted Karlsruhe the winner when he played the ball to Choi Kyoung Rok who calmly slotted home.

"There is a lot of diasppointment. This is difficult to get over," Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah said.

Elsewhere, VfL Bochum beat Augsburg 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 scoreline over 120 minutes. Goalkeeper Manuel Riemann, who had come on for the shoot-out, failed to stop a spot kick but scored on the final attempt after Arne Maier had fired Augsburg's last penalty over the bar.

Anthony Modeste scored twice in five minutes after coming on in Cologne's 2-0 at VfB Stuttgart. and Union Berlin came from behind to win 3-1 in extra-time at third-division Waldhof Mannheim. Second division leaders St Pauli Hamburg were among other winners.

Defending champions Borussia Dortmund reached the third round scheduled for mid-January on Tuesday.