Soccer: Meyer heads Schalke into German Cup last eight

Soccer Football - DFB Cup Third Round - Schalke 04 vs FC Cologne - Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany - December 19, 2017 Schalke’s Max Meyer celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

BERLIN (Reuters) - Schalke 04's Max Meyer scored with a looping header just past the hour mark to secure a 1-0 victory over Cologne on Tuesday and send his side into the German Cup quarter-finals.

It took 31 minutes for Schalke, second in the Bundesliga, to get their first shot on target but their pressure after the break paid off when Meyer's glancing header went high over goalkeeper Timo Horn and into the net in the 63rd minute.

The hosts should have scored again but Horn denied them with a string of good saves.

Soccer Football - DFB Cup Third Round - Schalke 04 vs FC Cologne - Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany - December 19, 2017 Schalke’s Max Meyer and Breel Embolo celebrate after the match REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

Mainz 05 also booked a place in the last eight with a 3-1 home win over VfB Stuttgart, while third division Paderborn caused an upset with a 1-0 victory over visiting second division club Ingolstadt to claim their first quarter-final spot.

Holders Borussia Dortmund travel to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on Wednesday in the round's biggest game.

Soccer Football - DFB Cup Third Round - Schalke 04 vs FC Cologne - Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany - December 19, 2017 Schalke’s Max Meyer celebrates scoring their first goal with Amine Harit (L) and Naldo (R) REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris)