Football
ESPN staff 7y

Dortmund's DFB Pokal quarterfinal postponed by snow; Eintracht advance

Borussia Dortmund's DFB Pokal quarterfinal match at Sportfreunde Lotte scheduled for Wednesday was postponed less than an hour before kickoff because of snow.

The teams had already announced their lineups and were preparing to play when the game was called off, with referee Felix Brych citing safety issues. Hours before, Dortmund's team bus got stuck at the stadium and had to be freed by a tractor.

"The pitch is totally soaked. There was a lot of rain in the night and the heavy snow-shower before the game on top of it. Both teams accepted the decision," Brych said.

The makeup date was not immediately announced. Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said he believe thinks the game will be played on March 14th, but that the DFB plan to meet Wednesday to discuss the date further.

Dortmund are already scheduled to host Ingolstadt in the Bundesliga three days later in a Friday night fixture.

Watzke also pushed for a change of venue, saying: "No offense to Lotte, but if you've seen the grass over months you must say that the grass is kaput that it won't be better in the next weeks either."

The day's other game went on as planned as Eintracht Frankfurt defeated second-tier Arminia Bielefeld 1-0

Danny Blum scored his first competitive goal for the hosts in the sixth minute that held up to put Eintracht into the semifinals.

Eintracht also brought on Marco Russ as a substitute in stoppage time, giving the defender, who had undergone treatment for cancer, his first appearance in 285 days.

"It was a very emotional moment for me," said Russ, who was hugged by his tearful wife and grabbed around the leg by his little daughter on the pitch after the game. "It was a long time, a hard time."

The club pledged their support throughout his illness, extending his contract by two years while he was undergoing treatment.

"I knew Arminia would throw everything forward so I needed a good header of the ball. That's why I brought Marco Russ on. An emotional evening for us all," coach Niko Kovac said.

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