DFB Cup semi-final: Saarbrücken's cup fairytale over – Kaiserslautern is within the closing | EUROtoday

As of: 01:52 a.m | Reading time: 3 minutes

D1. FC Kaiserslautern stopped the sensational march of third division soccer workforce 1. FC Saarbrücken within the DFB Cup and may now dream of their third triumph after 1990 and 1996. The second division workforce, threatened with relegation, received the semi-finals 2-0 (0-0) on Tuesday and thus reached the ultimate for the eighth time within the membership's historical past. In entrance of just about 16,000 spectators, Marlon Ritter within the 53rd minute and Almamy Touré (seventy fifth) scored the targets for the victory, which introduced the Palatinate workforce additional tens of millions in income.

“We also had the necessary luck in the game,” mentioned FCK coach Friedhelm Funkel, “but we didn’t allow ourselves to be counterattacked like other teams here and were stable. Of course it wasn’t a nice game for the spectators.”

The Red Devils' closing opponent will probably be decided on Wednesday between Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen and second division workforce Fortuna Düsseldorf. The closing will happen on May twenty fifth in Berlin. There, veteran Funkel's workforce may even safe their participation within the Europa League with a win.

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Saarbrücken, on the other hand, failed to qualify for the final as only the fourth third division team in the almost century-long history of the competition. So far, only the amateurs from Hertha BSC (1993), Energie Cottbus (1997) and 1. FC Union Berlin (2001) have achieved this feat.

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“It hurts extremely because it was a game we don’t have to lose. We make one mistake and then it hurts extremely. In defeat and frustration, we still have to say: 'It's amazing what we've achieved.' Even if that is only small consolation for today,” mentioned Saarbrücken coach Rüdiger Ziehl: “We had a big dream.”

Nothing got here of it, though after a wet Easter weekend the climate gods had an understanding with the Saarlanders, who had been solely capable of play their quarter-final in opposition to Borussia Mönchengladbach on the second try as a result of the pitch was unplayable. This time it stayed dry on match day.

Unlike the shock victories in opposition to Bundesliga golf equipment Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and Gladbach, Saarbrücken took the initiative initially. However, the house workforce didn’t get past promising approaches within the fourth cup semi-final of their membership's historical past.

Goalkeeper mistake helps Lautern take the lead

Kaiserslautern shied away from taking risks and relied on a stable defense. The spectators therefore saw a lot of ball pushing and little movement. There were no chances to score on both sides. Things got heated at times between the penalty areas.

After just half an hour, FCK coach Friedhelm Funkel had to make his first change because attacker Kenny Prince Redondo was injured without any interference from the opponent. Aaron Opoku came for him. This had no impact on the game, which sputtered along without any highlights. So it went into the break goalless.

After the change, both teams came out of the locker room with more momentum. The opening goal for the guests, who had reached the semi-finals for the first time in ten years, came somewhat fortunately. A harmless header from Ritter slipped through the hands of FCS goalkeeper Tim Schreiber, 21, and into the net. The ball had previously bounced off the battered turf unusually flat.

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Traditional membership in disaster

“So bitter that it ends because of a mistake on my part. Because the situation probably decided the game,” mentioned an especially dissatisfied author: “These are the kind of balls that you think ten out of ten of in training. For a moment you just want to sink into the ground.”

I'm extraordinarily sorry for the workforce. He didn't use the house as an excuse. “The ball didn’t come up anymore,” Funkel additionally seen.

The objective nonetheless had an influence on the underdog, who conceded the second header via Touré 1 / 4 of an hour earlier than the top. This time Schreiber was powerless. In the ultimate section, the FCK didn't let something go flawed and ultimately celebrated their well-deserved success with hundreds of followers touring with them.