18:00 Pokal Kickoffs: St. Pauli and Mainz avoid upsets in extra time, Hoffenheim advance on penalties

There were many twists and turns on Friday evening as all three of the concurrent DFB Pokal fixtures opening up the start of competitive 2024/25 German football went into extra time.  When the dust finally settled, top tier sides FC St. Pauli and FSV Mainz 05 were able to avoid upset losses with comeback victories. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim too were able to advance to the second round on penalties.