German third division team Arminia Bielefeld eliminated defending champion Bayer Leverkusen from the 2024-2025 German Cup after winning the semifinal match with a score of 2-1 at the Bielefelder Alm Stadium, Bielefeld, Wednesday (2/4) early morning IST.
Xabi Alonso’s side were heavy favourites to reach the final for the second year in a row, but were overwhelmed from start to finish by their underdog opponents.
Initially this match looked like it would be won by Leverkusen when they broke the deadlock through Jonathan Tah’s goal in the 17th minute.
But it didn’t take long for Bielefeld to equalise. In the 20th minute, Marius Woerl capitalised on a poor clearance by Piero Hincapie to curl a shot past Leverkusen.
As the first half progressed, Leverkusen failed to maximize their possession, while Bielefeld were fast and often threatened on the counter-attack.
The hosts then broke through Leverkusen’s goal again in the 45+3 minute, when Maximilian Grosser pounced on Louis Oppie’s free-kick from close range.
Bielefeld continued to threaten their visitors. They fought in every duel and gave Leverkusen few chances to threaten back.
Leverkusen striker Patrick Schick, who has been a hero for Leverkusen in the last two seasons, had a great chance to equalize in the 81st minute. But despite being unmarked, Schick could only manage a header that hit the post.
In this year’s German Cup, several top teams have been eliminated early on. Among them are Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt.
On Thursday (3/4) early morning WIB, RB Leipzig will visit VfB Stuttgart’s headquarters to play the other semifinal. Leipzig, who won two of the three previous German Cup editions, will be coached by interim coach Zsolt Low, who took over the team after Marco Rose was fired on Sunday (30/3).
