Bayern, Dortmund advance in German Cup as season start looms

BERLIN: Holders Borussia Dortmund and champions Bayern Munich eased into the second round of the German Cup on Saturday as the Bundesliga heavyweights finetuned preparations for the start of their league season next week.

With referee Bibiana Steinhaus making a dress rehearsal ahead of becoming the first female referee in the Bundesliga, Bayern, without Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng and Thiago Alcantara, crushed third division club Chemnitz 5-0, with Robert Lewandowski netting twice.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a hat-trick as Dortmund, who missed half a dozen starters, barely broke sweat in their 4-0 stroll past amateurs Rielasingen-Arlen.

There were no upsets in the first batch of matches on Saturday as fellow Bundesliga clubs Mainz 05, Cologne, Eintracht Frankfurt and Freiburg also advanced with wins over lower-ranked opponents, as had Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.