Bayer Leverkusen won in a top-class cup game against VfB Stuttgart and is the third team to reach the semi-finals after 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Fortuna Düsseldorf. The Rhinelanders prevailed by a narrow margin 3:2 (0:1) with a goal shortly before the end of regular time.
Waldemar Anton gave the guests the lead (11th), Robert Andrich equalized shortly after the break (50th). Chris Führich put VfB in front again (58th), Amine Adli made it a draw again (66th). Jonathan Tah scored the celebrated final point (90.)
Tah: “It feels brutally good”
“We had the game under control”said the Stuttgart goalscorer Anton to the Sportschau, “And it’s bitter to be left empty-handed now, in such a high-profile game, little things make the difference.” “That was a very, very tough fight”said previous series goalscorer Deniz Undav, “Compliments to Leverkusen. But if you lead twice in Leverkusen, you can’t lose the game anymore.” And he added: “I think the two best teams in the Bundesliga played here today.”
“It feels brutally good. Especially in a game like this against an opponent like that who caused us a lot of problems. That gives us a lot of energy and positive hope for everything that comes next.”said Tah on ARD. “We scored one or two goals in the last minute. We definitely believed in it”added teammate Robert Andrich in view of the last-minute qualities that Bayer has recently shown regularly in the Bundesliga
Fast pace from the start
From the kick-off, both teams didn’t give each other an inch of space or a tenth of a second. Both coaches had their teams attacking and played with a three-man chain. Sebastian Hoeneß had to do without Serhou Guirassy (“He didn’t come back from the Africa Cup in good condition”) as well as Silas, who was strong in transition. Dan-Axel Zagadou was also missing from defense.
The guests from Swabia still managed better to keep their opponents out of their own penalty area. It took half an hour for the home team to put their first shot on goal with a long-range shot from Grimaldo.
VfB takes its chance
VfB Stuttgart had done better at this point. The game was only ten minutes old when captain Waldemar Anton was able to head in a corner from the right side unchallenged by Angelo Stiller from around five meters. Edmond Tapsoba in particular, who had just returned from the Africa Cup, had lost sight of the Swabian defender.
There was some excitement in the 24th minute when the eye-catching Jeremy Frimpong made his way into the penalty area and was then apparently unfairly knocked off his feet by Hiroki Ito on the right near the baseline. Referee Daniel Schlager relied on VAR Benjamin Brand, who was able to detect minimal contact with the ball by the Japanese and therefore did not see a foul worthy of a penalty.
Nübel holds on to the lead for VfB
Five minutes before the break, Bayer turned up the heat and desperately wanted to equalize: First, VfB goalkeeper Alexander Nübel parried a free kick from Grimaldo onto the post. At the following corner, the goalkeeper was perfectly positioned when Patrik Schick tried to push a cross from Florian Wirtz over the line with his heel. VfB also once again came dangerously close to the hosts’ goal: Vagnoman passed Deniz Undav vertically, but he missed the ball by half a step in the penalty area.
Quick equalizer after the break
Although Stuttgart continued to act with great confidence and control after the break, Leverkusen quickly managed to equalize: VfB blocked a Grimaldo cross from the left, but the ball fell at the feet of Robert Andrich, who hit the ball with a lot of feeling and an absolutely precise shot 18 meters into the right angle equalized.
But when the fans in the Leverkusen Arena assumed that Xabi Alonso’s team would now turn the game around, the guests struck again. Führich sank the ball unstoppably from 14 meters – but the goal conceded had its origins in a pass by Leverkusen goalkeeper Matěj Kovář that was repeatedly played far too riskily. Andrich couldn’t control the pass, Enzo Millot saw Führich, who finished confidently.
Stuttgart hits its stride
Leverkusen didn’t give up. Wirtz raced towards Nübel after a long throw from Kovář, while Mittelstädt, who had received a yellow card, and Führich prevented the equalizer.
But then Amine Adli made it happen: just a few minutes after coming on as a substitute, the Moroccan processed a Wirtz pass on the half-left side.
Both teams kept the tempo high, but without creating any top-class scoring opportunities. When Wirtz hit the ball high to the incoming Tah after a corner was initially defended, Nübel had no chance of defending against the national defender’s powerful header. Leverkusen is in the semi-finals.
Semi-finals on April 2nd and 3rd
The two semi-final games will be played on April 2nd and 3rd, and the draw will take place on Saturday evening in the ZDF sports studio. The final will be played on May 25th – as always in the Berlin Olympic Stadium.