Bielefeld's cup miracle: sensational victory against Leverkusen!

Bielefeld's cup miracle: sensational victory against Leverkusen!

On April 1, 2025, Arminia Bielefeld made a sensation in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup: the third division team won 2-1 against Bayer 04 Leverkusen and thus moved into the final in Berlin for the first time. This performance is particularly impressive, since Bielefeld previously switched off three Bundesliga clubs in this year's DFB Cup, including Werder Bremen, SC Freiburg and Union Berlin, which gives them the status of the underdog, which they want to fill out with courage and determination. Bielefeld could be the first third division team to win the DFB Cup and thus qualify for the Europa League, which would be a historical success.

The game started intensively, with Leverkusen achieved the lead over Jonathan Tah in the 17th minute early on. However, the joy of the Leverkusen was only short -lived, because only three minutes later Marius Wörl managed to equalize for Bielefeld. Maximilian Große finally decided the game with the 2-1 in added time of the first half. The defensive of the Bielefeld was solid and gave little chance of Leverkusen in the second half. Patrik Schick was also unlucky in the final phase when he only hit the post.

The constellations and trainer reactions

Leverkusen's coach Xabi Alonso, who was undefeated before the game in his first ten DFB Cup games, switched his team a little. In the goal he rely on captain Lukas Hradecky instead of Kovar. In addition, Robert Andrich and Adli for Garcia and Boniface came to the starting eleven. The list was: Hradecky - Mukiele, Tah, Hincapie - Frimpong, G. Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo - Palacios, Schick, Adli.

Bielefeld's coach Mitch Kniat also optimized the team and changed the line -up compared to the last league game. Kevin Große, Felix Hagmann and Sarenren Bazeee replaced Felix, Lannert and Kania. The Bielefeld list consisted of: Kersken - L. Schneider, Russo, Great - Hagmann, Schreck, Corboz, Oppie, Sarenren Bazeee, Wörl - Grodowski.

fan joy in Bielefeld

The atmosphere in Bielefeld before the game was electrifying. Fans encouraged their club with creative actions and an exuberant mood. This support should not be underestimated because it not only motivates the players, but also contributes to the general team performance. After the game, Xabi Alonso was stunned by the defeat and Robert Andrich critically commented on his team's performance, which, despite the meantime, was no longer able to regain control.

In the Bundesliga, Leverkusen is currently six points behind Bayern Munich and will feel this defeat as a further damper on the way to defending the title. However, this exciting encounter remains as a further proof of the unpredictability of the DFB Cup in memory, where underdogs can always cause a stir. Arminia Bielefeld wrote history not only in the cup, but also for the hearts of fans.

"The performance was strong, both defensive and offensive", an observer summarizes the mood. Bielefeld has impressively showed that everything is possible in football and cheers to enter the final.

For more information about the course of the game and the background you can read ran.de