DFB Cup
Saarbrücken’s fairy tale ends: Kaiserslautern is in the final – and facing possible deadline stress
Great joy: Kaiserslautern prevailed in the DFB Cup semi-finals in Saarbrücken and is in the final for the eighth time
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The second division team 1. FC Kaiserslautern, which is threatened with relegation, stops the cup run of outsiders Saarbrücken. The Red Devils of oldie Funkel are now traveling to the final in Berlin, but are also facing possible scheduling stress.
After victories over FC Bayern, Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Mönchengladbach, the Saarlanders were stopped by the Red Devils in their march through the DFB Cup shortly before the big goal.
“It hurts extremely now because it doesn’t have to be that way,” said Saarbrücken coach Rüdiger Ziehl on ARD. Looking back, you will also realize what a journey it was. “We can be proud of it.” The second division team from the Palatinate, which was threatened with relegation, won the semi-finals 2-0 (0-0) in Saarbrücken and thus reached the final for the eighth time in the club’s history. “Today we had the luck we needed,” explained Funkel: “But the team remained patient.” Now they are in Berlin, the coach emphasized and gave the players permission to celebrate for a few hours.
DFB Cup: The final opponents will be Leverkusen or Düsseldorf
In front of almost 16,000 spectators, Marlon Ritter in the 53rd minute and Almamy Touré (75th) scored the goals for the victory, which brought the Palatinate team further millions in revenue. The Red Devils’ final opponent will be determined on Wednesday between Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen and second division team Fortuna Düsseldorf. The final will take place on May 25th in Berlin. There, the 70-year-old Funkel’s team can even secure their participation in the Europa League with a win. It would be FCK’s third cup success after 1990 and 1996.
Saarbrücken, on the other hand, failed to qualify for the final as only the fourth third division team in the almost century-long history of the competition. So far, only the amateurs from Hertha BSC (1993), Energie Cottbus (1997) and 1. FC Union Berlin (2001) have achieved this feat.
After a rainy Easter weekend, the weather gods had an understanding with the Saarlanders, who were only able to play their quarter-final against Borussia Mönchengladbach at the second attempt because the pitch was unplayable. This time it stayed dry on the day of the game, and the sun even made a few appearances. Referee Marco Fritz was able to start the game as planned.
Unlike the surprise victories against Bundesliga clubs Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and Gladbach, Saarbrücken took the initiative at the beginning. However, the home team did not get beyond promising approaches in the fourth cup semi-final in their club’s history.
Football history
These outsiders rocked the DFB Cup
A blatant goalkeeping mistake helps Lautern take the lead
Kaiserslautern shied away from taking risks and relied on a stable defense. The spectators therefore saw a lot of ball pushing and little movement. There were no chances to score on both sides. Things got heated at times between the penalty areas.
After just half an hour, FCK coach Friedhelm Funkel had to make his first change because attacker Kenny Prince Redondo was injured without any interference from the opponent. Aaron Opoku came for him. This had no impact on the game, which sputtered along without any highlights. So it went into the break goalless.
After the change, both teams came out of the locker room with more momentum. The opening goal for the guests, who had reached the semi-finals for the first time in ten years, came somewhat fortunately. A harmless header from Ritter slipped through the hands of FCS goalkeeper Tim Schreiber and into the net.
The goal had an impact on the underdog, who conceded the second header through Touré a quarter of an hour before the end. This time Schreiber was powerless. In the final phase, the FCK didn’t let anything go wrong and in the end celebrated their well-deserved success with thousands of fans traveling with them.
The Red Devils are facing deadline stress
The last days of May could also be a stress test for 1. FC Kaiserslautern. After reaching the final of the DFB Cup, the Red Devils may face a deadline rush. The final in the Berlin Olympic Stadium is scheduled for May 25th. If, after the 34th matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga, the Palatinate team is still in 16th place and therefore in the relegation relegation place, as is currently the case, two more games would be added.
“But that would still be better than being relegated straight away,” said FCK coach Friedhelm Funkel about the possible scenario after the Palatinate team’s 2-0 win in the semi-final at 1. FC Saarbrücken. In his opinion, it is “very important not to go to Berlin as a relegated team. I don’t want that. We want to prevent that by all means. Staying in the league is much, much more important than winning the cup,” emphasized the 70-year-old. He assumes that this will also work.
The matches of table 16. of the second league against the third team of the third league are scheduled for May 24th and 28th. The German Football League already said before the cup semi-final that alternative dates on May 22, 2024 (first leg) and May 29, 2024 (second leg) would be possible.