The MHP Arena in Stuttgart was packed to capacity and up to the rafters as the home team VfB Stuttgart hosted SC Freiburg in the semi-final of the DFB-Pokal, or simply the German Cup.
A Good Season For Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart, 4th in the Bundesliga and under severe pressure from Hoffenheim for European qualification, had had a good year with some stellar results and performances under coach Sebastian Hoeneß, and though Stuttgart went down to Champions Bayern in their previous Bundesliga match, they did pose a few problems for them too.
SC Freiburg, 7th in the Bundesliga, were hoping for a good win and finish the season on a high with the German Cup.
Stuttgart Dominate, but Freiburg Score
As the match began, Stuttgart held possession and came strongly at Freiburg. But the visitors were not undone and surprised the hosts by taking the lead in the 28th minute through a fine finish from Maximilian Eggestein.
Deniz Undav Equalises For Stuttgart
Stuttgart kept up the pressure on Freiburg, but were unable to score with an expectant crowd getting restless as the clock ticked. Eventually, the pressure paid off as Deniz Undav scored in the 70th minute to equalise. The Freiburg resistance was finally broken.
An Incredible Back-Heel From Tomas wins it for Stuttgart
The regulation time ended with a 1-1 draw, and the match moved into extra-time, where, eventually, the moment of truth arrived in the 119th minute. Tiago Tomás produced a moment of magic for Stuttgart as he back-heeled a pass from the right and placed it perfectly beyond Florian Müller to score an incredible winner for Stuttgart.
Stadium Erupts In Jubilation As Stuttgart Reach German Cup Final
The stadium erupted in jubilation, for both the quality of the goal and its importance in the context of the match. SC Freiburg could not do much after that as Stuttgart held tightly to the few minutes remaining and closed out the game to qualify for the DFB Pokal finals against Bayern Munich to be played on the 23rd of May at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
VfB Stuttgart Deserved Winners
Freiburg did give a tough fight to Stuttgart, but the hosts were deserved winners as they commanded play right through and dominated proceedings. The hosts had 64% of possession, with 26 shots, of which 10 shots were on goal. In comparison, Freiburg had just 4 shots on goal.
Stuttgart will meet the mighty Bavarians Bayern Munich on 23rd May in Munich for the German Cup.
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