Bayern in last eight
Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery was sent off for slapping an opponent just after halftime but that did not stop his side moving into the German Cup quarterfinals with a 2-0 win at Augsburg on Tuesday.
Fellow Champions League competitors Schalke 04 slumped out of the competition in a 2-1 defeat by visiting Mainz 05, while Bundesliga side Fortuna Dusseldorf were stunned 2-0 by third-tier Kickers Offenbach.
Bayern, who also lead the Bundesliga at the start of the winter break, grabbed the lead against the run of play with striker Mario Gomez tapping in from close range.
But things took a turn for the worse at the start of the second half when winger Ribery slapped South Korea's Koo Ja-cheol and received a straight red card.
In an entertaining second half both sides missed several good chances, with Mario Mandzukic, who has failed to score since the return of Gomez in November, twice coming close for Bayern.
Xherdan Shaqiri, who had earlier hit the crossbar, settled the visitors' nerves five minutes from time, slotting in after good play from Mandzukic and Thomas Mueller to ensure Bayern finished the year on a high.
"Overall I am satisfied with our season so far because we have been playing very well over long periods," Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes told reporters. "It cannot really get much better than that."
"As for the red card, it was provoked but as a Bayern player you must know how to handle such situations," he said.
RESULTS
Schalke 04 1 Mainz 2
Karlsruhe 0 Freiburg 1
Augsburg 0 Bayern Munich 2
Offenbach 2 Fortuna Dusseldorf 0
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