STUTTGART, Germany (AP) – Thiago Thomas’ dramatic backheel goal in the 119th minute sparked a comeback for Stuttgart. german cup They continued their title defense on Thursday by defeating Freiburg 2-1 in extra time in the final.
Stuttgart will now aim to prevent the final from taking place in Berlin on May 23rd. Bayern Munich domestic doubleIf Vincent Kompany’s side also win the Champions League, they could win the treble.
Stuttgart’s back-to-back cup finals against record-breaking Bayern, who defeated Stuttgart 4-2 last weekend, couldn’t have been more different. The biggest underdog in historyIn last year’s final, they faced third division Arminia Bielefeld.
“It’s a really difficult question. I think it’s just about staying focused and making as few mistakes as possible,” Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav told Sky Sports when asked how his team could pull off an upset. “We believe in that. Anything can happen in Berlin. It’s one game.”
Although Freiburg’s chance of scoring an unusual double goal is gone, they are still favorites to win the title. europe league Won the title after advancing to the semi-finals.
The match went to penalties, but Thomas produced a moment of individual skill when he twisted in mid-air between two defenders and used his heel to flick the ball past Freiburg’s outstanding goalkeeper Florian Müller after receiving a pass from Badredine Bouanani.
Tomas, shirtless, held his corner flag high in celebration, dodging an inevitable yellow card. Freiburg tried to score another point and brought Muller into the attack from a corner kick, but it wasn’t enough.
“There are not many words to describe what happened,” Thomas said. “I think that was one of those nights. It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Earlier, Freiburg took the lead in the 28th minute when Maximilian Eggestein flicked Matthias Ginter’s header past the goalkeeper from a corner. Shortly after the goal was ruled out for offside, Stuttgart equalized in the 70th minute when Unduff stopped a counter-attack and scored his 24th goal for the club this season.
Unduff turned into a creator and set up a series of chances for his team-mates as Stuttgart took control, but Müller’s quick reactions kept his team in contention as Chris Fürich saved a shot just before extra time and hit the post moments later. Freiburg were left disappointed when Lukas Höler had a goal canceled for body checking a defender.
Bayern advances to the final They defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 on Wednesday, their first win since 2020.
The winner of this cup competition will qualify for the Europa League, but with Stuttgart on track to qualify for next season’s Champions League via the Bundesliga, it is almost certain that they will return to an additional spot in the league standings.
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