The cup scare has struck again: 1. FC Saarbrücken is sensationally in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup. The team won 2-1 against Borussia Mönchengladbach in Ludwigspark.
After FC Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt 1. FC Saarbrücken actually knocked the next Bundesliga club out of the cup. Together with Fortuna Düsseldorf, 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Bayer 04 Leverkusen, the FCS is now in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup.
On April 2nd, Saarbrücken will play against 1. FC Kaiserslautern for a place in the final.
Turbulent initial phase in the wet Ludwigspark
As in the last cup games, Saarbrücken started confidently. But Gladbach scored their first goal after just eight minutes. After a corner for FCS, Franck Honorat stole the ball from the inattentive Marcel Gaus shortly after the halfway line. The Frenchman marched towards the baseline and passed it back to Robin Hack, who fired an ice-cold shot into the far corner from 14 meters. (8th minute)
But the answer from Saarbrücken didn’t take long to arrive: three minutes later, the FCS got the ball in midfield and then suddenly things happened very quickly: Kasim Rabihic found Amine Naifi in the center and he didn’t hesitate for long with his strong right foot. The shot landed halfway into the right corner of the goal. Gladbach keeper Nicolas had no chance (11th minute).
FCS held on for a long time against dominant Gladbachers
Even after that, the FCS remained courageous and tried to play along. But the team from Lower Rhine increasingly took control of the game and repeatedly put the FCS under pressure in their own penalty area. The blue-blacks defended the score until half-time.
It continued to rain in the second half. The ground became heavier and heavier and the space became worse and worse. The Gladbachers clearly had to struggle with these conditions.
In the 60th minute, Robin Hack had another lead for Gladbach, but the ball landed on the roof of the goal. As the game progressed, Saarbrücken hardly had any possession of the ball. Borussia, on the other hand, struggled to find clever ways forward. Saarbrücken was low and compact.
Decision in injury time
And again it was shortly before the end when the FCS fans suddenly brought the Ludwigspark to a boil: Saarbrücken countered on the left. Di Michele Sanchez found Kai Brünker on the edge of the penalty area with a low pass and the experienced striker pushed the ball flat into the left corner – the sensation was perfect (93rd minute).
“I’m just proud of everyone right now. I could just cry. Now we can aim for the final,” said the completely overwhelmed winning goal scorer Brünker after the game.
Coach Rüdiger Ziehl was also thrilled: “The fact that we managed to do what we did is really crazy,” he said.
Also a financial blessing
The victory is also financially worthwhile for the club: the Saarbrücken team has now earned more than six million euros in the current competition.
Saarbrücken last reached the semi-finals of the DFB Cup in 2020. At that time the club was still playing in the fourth division and then lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the semi-finals.
The SR info news also reported on this topic on the radio on March 12, 2024.