Latvia international Roberts Uldriķis endured a frustrating evening as Arminia Bielefeld suffered a stunning first-round exit from the DFB-Pokal, losing on penalties to 3. Liga side Großaspach after a 2-2 draw. The Latvian striker missed the decisive spot-kick as the underdogs celebrated a historic victory.
Uldriķis began the match on the bench as Arminia travelled to face lower-division opposition.
The hosts struck first in the 11th minute through Jan Elias Rahn, putting Großaspach ahead early. Arminia responded strongly before half-time, turning the match around with two goals in the space of two minutes. Stefano Russo equalised before Joel Grodowski completed the comeback to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage at the break.
However, Großaspach restored parity in the 55th minute, forcing the tie into extra time after neither side could find another breakthrough during normal time.
Uldriķis was introduced in the 105th minute of extra time, but the Latvian was unable to make the difference as the match went all the way to a penalty shootout.
The shootout turned into a nightmare for Arminia. While Großaspach confidently converted all three of their penalties, the visitors failed with each of theirs. The home goalkeeper saved Arminia’s opening two spot-kicks before Uldriķis stepped up knowing he had to score to keep his side alive. Instead, the 28-year-old fired his effort over the crossbar, sealing a famous upset.
The victory marked Großaspach’s first-ever win in the DFB-Pokal. Having previously qualified for the competition on three occasions, they had been eliminated in the opening round every time before finally breaking that streak.
