BERLIN, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Heidenheim fell short of securing a direct berth to the last 16 after Jozo Stanic's late header canceled out Norman Theuerkauf's opener in Thursday's sixth-round encounter.
From the kickoff, Heidenheim showed intent, pressing the Swiss visitors deep into their defensive third. The first notable chance came in the 19th minute when Leonardo Scienza forced a save from St. Gallen goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi. The rebound fell to Benedikt Gimber, who fired over the crossbar from 13 meters.
St. Gallen, initially subdued, came alive four minutes later with Kevin Csoboth heading over from a dangerous Christian Witzig cross.
However, Heidenheim broke the deadlock in the 30th minute. A defensive lapse allowed Sirlord Conteh to deliver a precise cross to the far post, where Theuerkauf tapped in from close range.
The visitors struggled to respond and posed little threat before halftime. Heidenheim resumed their dominance after the break, although St. Gallen showed more resolve in the second half.
A pivotal moment came in the 72nd minute when Paul Wanner weaved through St. Gallen's defense, only to see his effort strike the outside of the post.
Heidenheim's inability to capitalize proved costly, as St. Gallen leveled in the 77th minute. Chima Okoroji's pinpoint cross found Stanic, who headed home from close range, silencing the home crowd.
Heidenheim pushed for a winner late on, with Maximilian Breuning narrowly missing Mathias Honsak's cutback in the 85th minute. Despite their efforts, the hosts could not break through again.
The result sees Heidenheim finish the group phase in 16th place, falling short of direct qualification to the last 16. St. Gallen exited the competition, ending in 29th position.
"If you look at the 90 minutes, we did more to win the game. St. Gallen waited for opportunities to counterattack. We had the control and created the chances, but we failed to double our advantage after taking the lead. It's annoying that we didn't qualify directly," said Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt. ■
