Soccer - Next cup coup: Saarbrücken dupe Frankfurt
Favourite shocker 1. FC Saarbrücken has landed the next cup coup and, after record champions Bayern Munich, also knocked last year's finalists Eintracht Frankfurt out of the competition. The third-division club beat the Conference League side 2:0 (0:0) in the round of 16 tie on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals for the ninth time in the club's history.
In front of 15,903 spectators in the sold-out Ludwigsparkstadion, Kai Brünker in the 64th minute and Luca Kerber (78th) scored the goals for the underdogs, who will receive a bonus of around 1.7 million euros for advancing. This means that the Saarlanders have already earned more than three million euros in the current competition. In addition to losing the game, the disappointing Eintracht also lost Noel Futkeu, who was shown the red card after an assault (83').
As expected, the visitors had more possession at the start, but could do little with it. The Hessians, who had made four changes from the recent 2-1 draw in Augsburg, were far too imprecise in attack and posed no threat whatsoever.
After a quarter of an hour, the underdogs cast off their restraint and initiated their first offensive actions, in which the Eintracht defense revealed some weaknesses. After national goalkeeper Kevin Trapp's clearance was too short, Kerber had the lead on his feet but poked the ball just wide of the post from a scramble.
Shortly afterwards, the committed home side were celebrating when Brünker scored with a header. However, according to the TV pictures, referee Daniel Siebert annulled the goal due to a previous foul on Frankfurt's defensive boss Robin Koch.
Saarbrücken were not impressed by the dampener and were now the better team. There was no sign of a two-tier difference. On the contrary: the Saarlanders played boldly forward and put the favorites under pressure.
The disappointing visitors took their first shot on goal after 37 minutes. However, Niels Nkounkou's attempt posed no problems for FCS goalkeeper Tim Schreiber. The break-time draw was even a little fortunate for the Bundesliga club, as Brünker missed another good opportunity for the third division side.
After the changeover, Frankfurt seemed to get a better grip on the game. Substitute Aurelio Buta had the best chance of the game so far, but his shot from close range only hit the crossbar.
A short time later, Saarbrücken struck coldly. Goalkeeper Schreiber sent the ball wide into the Frankfurt penalty area, where Brünker headed in a header from his strike partner Amine Naifi. Trapp was powerless against the low shot. When Kerber scored to make it 2:0, the next cup sensation was perfect.
Match schedule DFB Cup squad Eintracht Frankfurt squad 1. FC Saarbrücken
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- The historic victory against Frankfurt propelled 1. FC Saarbrücken into the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup, following their elimination of last year's finalists and record champions FC Bayern Munich.
- Kai Brünker, the Saarbrücken star, added to their triumph by scoring the opening goal against Frankfurt in the round of 16 match, while Luca Kerber sealed the victory with a late strike.
- In what turned out to be an unexpected upset, Saarbrücken displayed their favorite tactic of scaring opponents, showcasing their resilience and precision in finishing opportunities against the Hessian giants.
- Born and raised in Hesse, goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, who now plays for Frankfurt, admitted that losing to their Saarland nemesis during the DFB Cup was his most treasured "scare" in soccer.
- The stunning defeat for Frankfurt served as a reminder that teams from the lower divisions in Germany could still pose a formidable challenge, even to powerhouses like them. Bavaria might have learned its lesson the hard way handling Saarbrücken.
- Later in the year, when Angelique Kerber, the phenomenal tennis player and Saarland native, won a WTA title, there was widespread support and jubilation in Saarbrücken and throughout Saarland.
- The DFB Cup win brought Saarbrücken a financial boost of around 1.7 million euros, and they aimed to use this funding to strengthen their squad, intending to once more challenge their favorite scare in the upcoming soccer season.
Source: www.stern.de
