April 3 – German third-tier club Saarbrücken’s astonishing journey in the DFB-Pokal, which included impressive victories over heavyweight clubs Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt, came crashing down on Tuesday night after losing 2-0 to Bundesliga 2 side Kaiserslautern.
Despite their status as a third-tier club, Saarbrücken’s remarkable achievements have captured attention throughout the season, but the fairytale has come to an end just one step away from the final at the hands of local rivals Kaiserslautern, who secured their spot with two second-half goals courtesy of Marlon Ritter and Almamy Toure.
Located just 65km from Saarbrücken, Kaiserslautern, currently struggling in the 2. Bundesliga will face either Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen or Düsseldorf in the final.
This is the first time since 2011 that a team from outside the top flight has reached the cup final, underscoring the competition’s unpredictable nature.
Cup underdogs Saarbrücken have only played in the Bundesliga for five seasons and not since 1992-93, but in the DFB-Pokal they are carving out a name for themselves as giant-killers.
Four years ago, during their previous appearance in the competition, they advanced to the semi-finals, a remarkable feat that made them the first fourth-tier club to achieve such progress. Over the course of these two campaigns, they emerged victorious in eight out of ten matches.
Leverkusen and Düsseldorf will battle it out tonight to decide who will join Kaiserslautern in the DFB Pokal final on May 25.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1732328638labto1732328638ofdlr1732328638owedi1732328638sni@g1732328638niwe.1732328638yrrah1732328638