They literally fought until they dropped, they pushed themselves to their limits – and beyond. Again and again, the 1. FC Saarbrücken players writhed on the ground, plagued by cramps. But in the end everyone was in each other’s arms. The third division team achieved the sensation and knocked record champions Bayern Munich out of the DFB Cup on Wednesday evening. Coach Rüdiger Ziehl’s team won with great passion 2:1 (1:1). The winning goal came in stoppage time. Winger Marcus Gaus broke all the barriers in the Ludwigsparkstadion in the Saarland capital, which was sold out with 16,000 spectators.
1. FC Saarbrücken celebrates DFB Cup victory against FC Bayern
The defeat is a debacle for FC Bayern. As in the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons, the team was eliminated in the second round of the competition; last year the Munich team failed in the quarter-finals against SC Freiburg. The traditional 1. FC Saarbrücken, on the other hand, dreamed of old times after the triumph, because everyday life in league three looks bleak. The team is currently in 15th place and is heading to SV Sandhausen at the weekend.
The preparation for everyday league life after the win against Bayern is likely to be different than usual. After the final whistle, coach Ziehl gave the motto in an ARD interview in the still sizzling stadium: “If you don’t celebrate today, then you can never celebrate.” This obviously applied to both players and fans. “The state capital is upside down,” noted the “Saarbrücker Zeitung”. “A football miracle! FCS fans lie in each other’s arms crying with happiness. Motorcades wind their way through the state capital, honking until late at night.”
In the photo gallery above you can see photos of an evening that no one in Saarbrücken will soon forget.