Lasogga brace fires Hamburg into final four of German Cup

BERLIN: Hamburg striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga continued his fine scoring form in the German Cup on Tuesday as he grabbed both goals in a 2-0 win at Paderborn to fire his team into the semi-finals for the first time in ten years.

Lasogga has now scored six goals in the competition this season, equalling a club record set by Ivica Olic the last time Hamburg reached the semi-finals in 2009.

"I've never been in the semi-finals before, and I can't describe how good it feels," Lasogga told Sky.

"We deserved to win today. It was an extraordinary evening."

The win makes Hamburg the first team to reach the last four this season, and keeps alive their hopes of a first cup final appearance since 1987.

Hamburg were the more dangerous side for much of the game, and both Lasogga and Douglas Santos had chances before the opener.

Lasogga finally broke the deadlock on 54 minutes, rising high at a corner to nod the ball in from close range. Fourteen minutes later, he smashed a powerful shot into the bottom corner to seal Hamburg's passage to the semi-finals.