Unstoppable underdogs, 1. FC Saarbrücken, pulls off another upset in the DFB Cup!
Making headlines once again, Saarbrücken, hailing from the third division, knocked out the Conference League side and former Bundesliga finalists, Eintracht Frankfurt, with a 2-0 (0-0) victory in the round of 16. The Ludwigsparkstadion celebration saw 15,903 excited fans witnessing two thrilling goals from Kai Brünker in the 64th minute and Luca Kerber in the 78th minute. Despite the loss, Eintracht wasn't the only team in distress as they also sent off their player Noel Futkeu with a red card in the 83rd minute for assault.
Leverkusen marches on in the DFB Cup as the cup favorites
Looking unstoppable, the record-breaking Bayer Leverkusen team advanced to the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup. The Bundesliga leaders only faced a minor bump in their 3-1 (2-0) win over brave second division runner-ups SC Paderborn. With the elimination of record winners FC Bayern Munich and defending champions RB Leipzig, Bayer is now widely recognized as having the best chance of winning the title after 21 competitively victorious matches, boasting an impressive 19 wins.
A setback for Leverkusen: Injury strikes internatioal sensation Wirtz
Unfortunately, Leverkusen suffered a significant blow when their international star player, Florian Wirtz, was injured after being kicked on the heel in the 44th minute. Inspite of returning to the action, Wirtz had to be led into the dressing room, visibly in pain, shielded by two coaches. Bayer reported that the 20-year-old suffered a "painful blow to his ankle."
Making up for lost ground, Leverkusen scores through Boniface, Palacios, and Schick
The goals for Bayer were eventually scored by Victor Boniface in the 12th minute, with his 14th competitive goal since his summer transfer; Argentinian world champion Exequiel Palacios in the 29th minute, and Patrik Schick, 12 minutes following his substitution (87'). Paderborn, who managed a 3-1 win against SC Freiburg in the previous round, showed their resilience by scoring through Sebastian Klaas in the 83rd minute. However, this wasn't enough to propel the third-quarter final appearance in the club's history after 2018 and 2019.
Worth a read:
- Defense of Bayer 04 Leverkusen led by Wirtz hasn't faltered, allowing them advance to the quarter-finals with an impressive 19 win streak at the top of the Bundesliga standings.
- The unexpected elimination of FC Bayern Munich opened the door for Saarbrücken's impressive triumph against last year's Bundesliga finalists, Eintracht Frankfurt.
- The Saarbrücken team, led by Brünker and Kerber, has now reached the quarter-finals for the ninth time in the club's history. This winning spree has earned them a substantial bonus of over 1.7 million euros in the competition.
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen's star player Wirtz's injury stirred a flurry of concern, but the team was still able to hold on to their unbeaten record, with a 3-1 win against Paderborn.
- Brave Paderborn suffered a blow in their quest to achieve a third quarter-final appearance in their history, despite initially holding their ground against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
- The unexpected elimination of Eintracht Frankfurt led to the exit of their star tennis player Angelique Kerber, who has previously made a mark in Bavaria's biggest competitions and reached top ranks.
- The enthusiasm among the German football fans is high, as the quarter-finals eagerly await the exciting encounters between Bayer 04 Leverkusen, the reigning cup champions, and their opponents.
Sources:
Enrichment Data:
Teams Advancing to the DFB Cup Quarterfinals:
- Bayer Leverkusen successfully advanced in the cup before staging an extra-time 3-2 victory against Cologne with a winning strike from Victor Boniface[1][4].
- VfB Stuttgart advanced in the cup by defeating Augsburg with a narrow 1-0 margin[1].
- RB Leipzig, despite facing Eintracht Frankfurt's victory, managed a 3-0 success against them[1].
- Werder Bremen achieved a 1-0 triumph against Darmstadt. Their success grants them a spot in the quarterfinals[1].
- Wolfsburg earned their spot in the quarterfinals with a convincing 3-0 win against Hoffenheim[1].
- Arminia Bielefeld's 3-1 victory against Freiburg secured their spot in the cup's quarterfinals[1].
Noteable Injuries:
Although no injuries occurred during the DFB Cup quarterfinals in the provided sources, reports state that Germany's handball player Franz Semper experienced an unfortunate season-ending injury, forcing his withdrawal from the 2025 World Cup[2]. In addition, St. Pauli's James Sands was also injured, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season in a match against Freiburg that was not part of the DFB Cup quarterfinals[5].
