“It hasn’t been an easy season that we’ve played so far. Nobody would have thought that we would make it to the cup final. There’s a lot of pressure in this business and in my job. A lot fell through and I wished very much for our fans, our team and the club, the employees that we could make it into this final. It worked and I am all the more proud today“said RB managing director Oliver Mintzlaff: “Of course we want to win in Berlin.“
Union with conscientious preparation
In the run-up to the game, Urs Fischer revealed that he had prepared his team for everything possible. In training he practiced taking penalties in a pressure situation. “It was a bit about something“said the Union coach.
He didn’t want to reveal what exactly, just that it “a little bit more” was an invitation to dinner. Nevertheless, the goal was to decide the game after 90 minutes if possible. “We will fight for the chance to qualify for the final today‘ said Fisher.
Fighting game with slight advantages for Union
His team also showed that in the early stages. Berlin repeatedly managed to disrupt Leipzig’s build-up game and force ball wins early on. But RB also acted robustly – a balanced and intense game developed, which, however, mainly took place between the penalty areas and without any dangerous scenes.
The first chance came after a standard situation. After a corner by Christopher Trimmel, Grischa Prömel scored twice, after an uncertainty from goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, the Unioner shot went to the side netting (15th).
Becker meets in true Union style
Ten minutes later, Berlin also showed its footballing class. The guests combined themselves with two direct passes through midfield, then Trimmel crossed precisely to Becker, who made it 1-0 with a direct shot with his left foot (25th). Vertical, no frills, on the outside, successful – a typical Union move in perfection.
On the other hand, there was nothing offensive from Leipzig, the best team from the second half of the season so far in the Bundesliga. Coach Domenico Tedesco’s team found no remedy against the densely staggered Union defense and kept getting stuck no later than 20 meters from the goal.
Silva missed, Nkunku unnoticed
In the 37th minute, RB showed his combination football, which was established under Tedesco and was so successful. As the last stop, Silva got the ball free-standing, but the striker shot just wide of the goal from eleven meters – that should have been 1-1.
On the other hand, Leipzig’s shooting star Christopher Nkunku, over whom Oliver Mintzlaff had spoken before the game, did not get a chance at all in the first half. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again here on ARD: Christopher Nkunku will be our player again next season“Said the RB managing director on the ARD microphone.
Leipzig is getting better and rewarding itself
After the break, Leipzig was able to build up a little more pressure, but initially without penetrating decisively. After all, Dani Olmo fired the first shot at the Berlin goal, but keeper Frederik Rönnow had no problems with the attempt that was placed too centrally (55th). Almost in return, Taiwo Awoniyi missed the Berlin 2-0 from close range (57th) after great preliminary work by Becker.
Shortly thereafter, Nkunku intervened decisively in the game for the first time. Paul Jaekel fouled the Frenchman in the Union penalty area and after viewing the video images, referee Felix Brych awarded Leipzig a penalty. Silva stepped up and scored the equalizer (61st).
Forsberg the acclaimed hero
However, Union stuck to its concept and remained dangerous on the counterattack. After such an attack, Awoniyi missed the opening goal by just a few centimeters (71st).
When everything looked like extra time, Favorit Leipzig struck. First, a Union defender saved a low shot from Angelino on the line, but Benjamin Henrichs got the ball again, crossed and Forsberg headed the winning goal for Leipzig from eight meters in the second minute of extra time. The Swede made it clear that his team had reached the final for the second time in a row.
“This is very bitter. We kept the game open for a long time, even though many here in Leipzig didn’t think we could do it. We showed what we can do. But we made that one mistake too many“said Union defender Robin Knoche, who was particularly annoyed about the foul on the penalty kick: “Without the penalty, Leipzig has only one chance, otherwise no shot on goal. It’s annoying that such an action is happening in this game.”