German Cup quarterfinal game between Saarbruecken and Gladbach called off after heavy rain

The German Cup quarterfinal game between Saarbruecken and Borussia Moenchengladbach was called off shortly before kickoff Wednesday after heavy rain left the field waterlogged.

Third-division club Saarbruecken, which already knocked out Bayern Munich earlier in the competition, was seeking another upset against Gladbach. The field had large puddles and quickly turned to mud in areas where players were warming up.

Referee Florian Badstübner said in televised comments that the field was not fit for play and represented an injury risk.

After the game was called off, Saarbruecken's players gathered in front of a stand filled with fans, some waving flares, to pay tribute.

The German soccer federation said it would hold talks with both clubs about finding a replacement date to play the game.

In the Bundesliga, Mainz and Union Berlin drew 1-1 in a game which was repeatedly stopped because fans threw tennis balls onto the field in protest at a plan to sell a share in the league's marketing rights to an outside investor. Such protests have been common in the league in recent months.

After all the delays, the goals were scored eight and 13 minutes into first-half added time. A volley from Union's Robin Gosens canceled out a header from Mainz's Jonny Burkardt.

The game had been rescheduled from last month because of ice in the stadium following a snowstorm. Instead it was played Wednesday on a wet field in driving rain.

Union is in 15th place and Mainz 17th in the 18-team league. Mainz, which has been in the top division for 15 years, has not won a league game since Nov. 4.