Bayern progress, Mainz shock Schalke in German Cup

 BERLIN, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Mainz flabbergasted Schalke 2-1 owing to the late winner by Nicolai Mueller whereas Bayern Munich progressed into the last eight following a 2-0 win at Augsburg in DFB Pokal (German Cup) on Tuesday.

Ten men Bayern booked the round of the last eight after a hard earned 2-0 win over rivals Augsburg.

Augsburg started highly motivated into the match to give the German record champions a tough time at the opening period.

Augsburg' s courageous¹ performance nearly got rewarded as Ja Cheol Koo's long-range shot needed a deflection to the post by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to avoid the opener.

The promising² chances for Augsburg seemed like a wakening call for Bayern Munich as clinical Mario Gomez opened the scoring with the first chance at the 26th minute.

Bayern retracted³ with the neat lead whereas Augsburg was in search for the equalizer.

Two minutes into the second half Bayern midfielder Franck Ribery was dismissed with a straight red card following a violent conduct to weaken his side.

Augsburg started a run of Bayern's goal but yet they failed to exploit their numerical advantage. Instead Xherdan Shaqiri sealed the deal for Bayern, five minutes before final whistle, when he slotted home an assist by Thomas Mueller to mark the final 2-0 score.

Clinical Mainz eliminates struggling Schalke from German Cup after a 2-1 away victory.

Both sides staged a fast paced match but yet it was Schalke's Cirprian Marica who ensured the first chance of the match when he missed by header twice.

As the match progressed, the visitors took over to break the deadlock⁴ with 30 minutes played as Marco Caliguri utilized⁵ an Adam Szalai through ball to slot home from 18 meters.

The "Royal Blues⁶" frenetically pressed for the leveller but all their efforts looked like an act of desperation, as they were unable to overcome Mainz defence before the break.

After the interval⁷ Schalke controlled the ball to press the visitors into defence. The hosts were able to produce a bunch of goal scoring opportunities but Tranquillo Barnetta and Julian Draxler left their chanced unexploited.

With 75 minutes on the clock Schalke finally overcame Mainz's bulwark⁸ as Klaas Jan Huntelaar equalized the score when he utilized the build up play by Marica.

It was a short-lived joy by the hosts as Mainz responded eight minutes later with the winner by Nicolai Mueller to knock out struggling Schalke.The "Royal Blues" failed to break the spell, as they remain winless from seven games.

Elsewhere, third division side Kickers Offenbach eliminated Dusseldorf with a 2-0 home win and Freiburg overcame third division team Karlruher SC 1-0.

The following fixtures⁹ are scheduled for Wednesday: Wolfsburg encounter Leverkusen, Bochum face 1860 Munich, defending champions Dortmund clash Hannover and Stuttgart host Cologne.?

1 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 retracted   

v.撤回或撤消( retract的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝执行或遵守；缩回；拉回

参考例句：

• He made a false confession which he later retracted. 他作了假供词，后来又翻供。
• A caddy retracted his statement. 一个球童收回了他的话。 来自辞典例句

4 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

5 utilized   

v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In the19th century waterpower was widely utilized to generate electricity. 在19世纪人们大规模使用水力来发电。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The empty building can be utilized for city storage. 可以利用那栋空建筑物作城市的仓库。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

7 interval   

n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息

参考例句：

• The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
• There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

8 bulwark   

n.堡垒，保障，防御

参考例句：

• That country is a bulwark of freedom.那个国家是自由的堡垒。
• Law and morality are the bulwark of society.法律和道德是社会的防御工具。

9 fixtures   

（房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动

参考例句：

• The insurance policy covers the building and any fixtures contained therein. 保险单为这座大楼及其中所有的设施保了险。
• The fixtures had already been sold and the sum divided. 固定设备已经卖了，钱也分了。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹