In one of the biggest upsets of the season, Bayer Leverkusen were eliminated from the German Cup by Arminia Bielefeld, losing 2-1 in the semi-finals.
The scenario was extremely exciting. Leverkusen took the lead in the 17th minute through Jonathan Tah, and everyone thought it was over and that Bayer would easily advance to the final.
But Bielefeld, who are in the third division, equalized just three minutes later through Marius Woerl, before surprising everyone with a second goal in the final minute of the first half through Grosser.
All attempts by Leverkusen to break the home team’s lead failed, and Leverkusen lost their title, won last year, to Kaiserslautern in Berlin.
Bielefeld became the fourth team in German history to reach the cup final and will await the winner of the Stuttgart-RB Leipzig match on Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
Bielefeld had beaten three Bundesliga clubs on their way to the final: Freiburg, Werder Bremen, and finally Leverkusen. This is nothing short of historic for the former giant.
The cup exit is a continuation of Leverkusen’s poor season, following their Champions League exit in the round of 16 to Bayern Munich, while also finishing second in the Bundesliga, six points behind Bayern.
Xabi Alonso is expected to announce his position on continuing as Leverkusen’s coach in the coming days, and the cup exit may have an impact on the coach’s plans for next season.
