BERLIN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Bayer Leverkusen booked a place in the German Cup semifinals with a 3-0 home win over St. Pauli on Tuesday.
St. Pauli started sharply and almost took the lead from their first corner, with Martijn Kaars unable to convert in a crowded six-yard area. Leverkusen were sloppy in possession early on, and a mistake by goalkeeper Ben Voll later presented Patrik Schick with a clear chance, but Karol Mets cleared the effort off the line.
The visitors continued to press. Joel Chima Fujita dragged a shot wide from a promising position and was booked for a foul on Exequiel Palacios. Leverkusen controlled possession but lacked tempo and penetration until they went ahead just past the half-hour mark. Schick was unable to force an opening at the edge of the area, yet Martin Terrier reacted quickest in the scramble and drove the ball into the left corner.
St. Pauli had a major opportunity to equalize before the interval. After a move down the right, Arkadiusz Pyrka pulled the ball back into the area, but Kaars missed the target from close range.
After the break, errors disrupted the flow of the match and St. Pauli's attacking play became increasingly fragmented as Leverkusen managed the tempo. The hosts doubled their lead in the 63rd minute when Aleix Garcia delivered from the right and Schick finished with his left foot into the right corner.
Danel Sinani later registered St. Pauli's sole attacking effort of the second half. Leverkusen remained in control, and Jonas Hofmann struck the post with a long-range attempt.
Hofmann eventually added the third goal in stoppage time, finishing after a diagonal pass from Alex Grimaldo. The victory sends Leverkusen into the last four ahead of the semifinal draw on 22 February. The semifinals are scheduled for 21 and 22 April, with the final to be played in Berlin on 23 May.
"St. Pauli didn't have the quality to really threaten us, even though we didn't play a good game ourselves," said Bayer Leverkusen captain Robert Andrich. "There are a lot of things we need to improve, but in the cup, it's about getting through, and that's what we did." ■
