Emre Can scored from the halfway line while skipper Marco Reus grabbed a late winner as Borussia Dortmund defeated neighbouring Bochum 2-1 on Wednesday to qualify for the German Cup quarterfinals.
The five-time German Cup winners were made to work for their victory, taking on a team who had won five from five at home since manager Thomas Letsch took over in late September.
Dortmund took the lead thanks to Can's quick thinking on the stroke of halftime.
Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann ran well outside his box to thwart a Dortmund attack, but his clearance fell to Can inside the centre circle.
The former Liverpool and Juventus midfielder took one touch to control the ball before punting a long-range effort past the retreating Riemann and into the net for a 1-0 lead at the break.
"I actually didn't hit it that well" Can told Sky Germany.
"But in the end it was in. It was a beautiful goal."
English teenager Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, handed a rare start by Dortmund manager Edin Terzic, leapt to meet a cross in the 59th minute but the ball connected with his elbow.
After a VAR review which took several minutes, Bochum were awarded a penalty and Austrian midfielder Kevin Stoeger rifled his shot down the middle to level the scores.
Terzic brought on captain Reus just three minutes later and the two-time German Cup winner scored three minutes after that, guiding a perfect pass from Jude Bellingham into an empty net.
Terzic, who won the Cup as Dortmund's caretaker manager in 2020-21, praised his side for emerging victorious in a "huge Cup fight, it was intense, as (we) expected."
"Bochum made our lives difficult."
After losing his first home game as Bochum manager, Letsch told German TV "we have to put a line through that one now, but we can leave the pitch with our heads held high."
Dortmund join Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart, Union Berlin, Freiburg, Eintracht Frankfurt and second division Nuremberg, who won earlier on Wednesday, in the quarterfinals.
NUREMBERG THROUGH ON PENS
Nuremberg also qualified for the last-eight by beating Fortuna Duesseldorf on penalties after scoring an injury-time equaliser in a 1-1 draw.
Duesseldorf took the lead in the 33rd minute through Dawid Kownacki and looked in complete control of the tie, only for Nuremberg's Taylan Duman to score in the third minute of stoppage time to force the game into extra time.
Duesseldorf striker Jona Niemiec had his side's fourth penalty saved by Nuremberg goalkeeper Peter Vindahl.
Home forward Erik Shuranov stepped up to score the decisive kick, sending his side through as the only second-division club to reach the last eight with a 5-3 shootout victory.
Duesseldorf scored from their first chance, Kownacki heading in a cross from Emmanuel Iyoha.
The visitors almost made it 2-0 in the 69th minute through Kownacki, but Vindahl made a fingertip save.
Nuremberg took advantage late on through midfielder Duman, whose shot was deflected into the goal by Austrian defender Christoph Klarer.
Only five teams – Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, Schalke, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt – have won more German Cup titles than Nuremberg's four.
The draw for the next round will take place on Sunday.
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