GERMANY
VANGELIS STAMATOPOULOS 06.02.2024 | 23:43
Robert Andrich celebrates with his Leverkusen teammates after scoring a goal against Stuttgart | February 6, 2024 @2024 MARTIN MEISSNER/AP IMAGES
A golden header from centre-back Ta in the 90th minute gave Leverkusen a 3-2 win over Stuttgart to send them into the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal.
Bayer Leverkusen is making a frantic run in the Bundesliga with the very big goal of winning the first championship title in its history, but at the same time it is not indifferent to the second most important institution: the Cup.
He showed this on Tuesday night (06/02) where, after an exciting match, he defeated Stuttgart 3-2 and took the ticket to the semi-finals, where Christos Joli’s Fortuna and Kaiserslautern are already waiting and one of the remaining Saarbrucken – Gladbach to put together the puzzle of the four.
It is noted that the “aspirins” have found the net for their 30th consecutive game in the DFB-Pokal, a number that constitutes a record for the club, with Xabi Alonso’s side now starting the countdown to the ultimate cross-test that follows, the top derby with Bayern at the “Bay Arena”.
The match
Stuttgart stunned Leverkusen by opening the scoring in just the 11th minute with Anton’s header from a corner, continuing to find the Bundesliga leaders pressing through possession (62% in the first half) but unable to send the ball into the net (7-4 finals, 2-2 at home) until both teams go to the locker room.
He achieved this a few minutes after the start of the second half, specifically in the 50th minute with Andrich’s unimaginable foul shot from outside the area, with 1-1 creating other data in the game and making both teams more aggressive.
Which led to two more goals being scored, one for each side. The Swabians “struck” first in the 58th minute with an excellent execution by Fuchrich inside the area, while the home team responded in the 66th minute with Adli’s place after a brilliant vertical ball that he had received from Vircs.
With the match entering the final stretch and at 2-2, everything was pointing to extra time as both teams seemed highly focused on their stopping tasks, but in the last minute the class of Xabi Alonso’s players spoke, who has taken them to the top of Germany’s standings so far.
There, Wirtz turned creator again with a superb cross into the back of the Stuttgart defense and the promoted Ta got a superb header to send the ball into the left-hand corner of Nibel’s net and seal a great advance for his side in the ‘4 ” of the German Cup.
- Leverkusen: Kovar, Tapsoba, Ta, Incapier, Fribong (90′ Stanisic), Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo, Hoffman (64′ Adli), Wirtz (90′ Hoffman), Schick (64′ Iglesias)
- STUTTGARD: Nibel, Anton, Wagnomann, Stiller, Mittelstadt (70′ Stergiou), Milot (62′ Leveling), Karachor, Ito, Udav, Fuchrich (79′ Dahoud), Royalt
The results of the quarter finals
- St. Pauli – Fortuna 3-4 p., 2-2 par., 1-1 c.a. (60′ Hartel, 120+1′ Bouhalfa / 38′ Fermei, 99′ Tanaka)
- Hertha – Kaiserslautern 1-3 (90+5′ Rize / 5′ Elvedi, 38′ Tachy, 69′ Kalots)
- Leverkusen – Stuttgart 3-2 (50′ Andrich, 66′ Adli, 90′ Ta / 11′ Anton, 58′ Fuchrich)
- 07/02 21:45 Saarbrucken – Gladbach