BERLIN, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Hertha Berlin booked their berth for the second round after edging Eintracht Braunschweig 2-1 in the German Cup on Monday.

Meanwhile, Freiburg needed the penalty shootout to overcome Energie Cottbus 7-5 at the first round.

The "Herthaner" staged a slow start into the clash against second division side Braunschweig. Hence, the visitors had to wait until the 31st minute to work out their first note worthy chance as Vedad Ibisevic headed dangerously on target.

Berlin eventually broke the deadlock eight minutes later when Marvin Plattenhardt unleashed a vicious long-range volley to slot home the opener from 25 meters.

After the restart, both sides ensured a lively opening period as Jonas Thorsen header came close before Ibisevic tested goalkeeper Marcel Engelhardt.

The hosts almost restored parity in the 74th minute but Philipp Hofmann rattled only the post following Onur Bulut's cross into the box.

However, the second division side continued to press forward and was rewarded in the 81st minute when substitute Mergim Fejzullahu leveled the scores into the top left corner.

It was a short-lived joy though as Hertha grabbed the 2-1 lead two minutes later after Ibisevic tapped home Dennis Jastrzembski's assist to seal the deal.

Freiburg progressed into the next round after eliminating third division club Energie Cottbus 5-3 (2-2) in the penalty shootout.

The Bundesliga side controlled the proceedings on the pitch but lacked in ideas to overcome Cottbus' bulwark. Meanwhile, the hosts defended deep and lurked for counter attacks.

After the half time, Cottbus opened the scoring out of the blue when Marcelo Freitas slotted home from the edge of the box into the bottom left corner in the 47th minute.

It looked like Freiburg would be unable to respond as the top-flight team had to wait until the dying minutes of the game before Mike Frantz equalized the scoring into the roof of the net.

Freiburg secured the 2-1 lead in the overtime when Nils Petersen scored after heading home his defused penalty from close range in the 99th minute.

Cottbus remained unimpressed and fought back again as Fabio Viteritti made it two all draw to force Freiburg into the penalty shootout.

Christian Streich's men kept their nerves in the penalty shootout whereas Cottbus' Tim Kruse pulled his attempt over the bar, allowing Freiburg's Dominique Heintz to put the result beyond doubt. Enditem

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