Leverkusen crumbles to third division side in DFB Pokal semis

DFB Pokal holder, Bayer Leverkusen, suffered a disappointing loss to Arminia Bielefeld in the semi final.

The third division side pulled off an extraordinary shock as they defeated Xabi Alonso’s side 2-1 to reach the DFB-Pokal final.

Bielefeld, who have now eliminated four Bundesliga teams in consecutive rounds in the competition, became the fourth third-tier side to reach the competition’s showpiece.

Meanwhile, Leverkusen took the lead in the 17th minute through Jonathan Tah’s tap-in from a corner.

However, the home side ruined their joy as they equalised three minutes after, with Marius Woerl beating Lukas Hradecky with a low drive.

Hradecky pulled off a spectacular save in the 26th minute when he blocked Sarenren Bazee’s point-blank effort.

The hosts then completed the comeback on the stroke of half-time, through a close-range volley from Maximilian Grosser.

Leverkusen tried to get back into the game but were unlucky as Patrick Schick hit the woodwork late on.

The minnows held firm to reach the final for the first time in their history. They will face either Stuttgart or RB Leipzig in the final next month.

Meanwhile, Arminia Bielefeld defeated Hannover, Union Berlin, Werder Bremen, before capping it with a victory over Bayer Leverkusen.