Borussia Dortmund are to face VfL Wolfsburg in the DFB Pokal final after Wolfsburg’s emphatic 4-0 romp at third-division giant-killers DSC Arminia Bielefeld in the second semi-final on Wednesday.
Germany under-21 striker Maximilian Arnold scored Wolfsburg’s first and last goals in a clinical team display to end Bielefeld’s impressive cup run.
Brazil’s Luiz Gustavo and Croatia’s Ivan Perisic also got on the score sheet at Bielefeld’s soldout Schuco Arena as the third division leaders were punished for defensive lapses.
Photo: Reuters
Wolfsburg finally reached the final having been knocked out in the last four in 1998-1999, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and in both of the past two seasons.
Dortmund travel to Wolfsburg on May 16 in their penultimate Bundesliga match in a DFB Pokal final warm-up.
“I am delighted I could help the team with two goals, but the main thing is that we have finally achieved our goal of getting into the final,” Arnold said. “We were ice-cold in taking our chances and 100 percent concentrated from the word go. The final and the league games against Dortmund are both 50-50, but we’re looking forward to both matches, especially the final, of course.”
Wolfsburg, who are destined for the UEFA Champions League next season and are second in the Bundesliga, ended Bielefeld’s hopes of reaching a first DFB Pokal final.
Arminia had claimed the scalps of Hertha BSC, Werder Bremen and Borussia Moenchengladbach en route to the last four.
Arnold put his side ahead on eight minutes with a perfectly timed run into the penalty area to drill home Daniel Caligiuri’s defense-splitting pass.
Caligiuri was a constant menace on the left wing and set up three of Wolfsburg’s four goals.
Defensive midfielder Luiz Gustavo headed home Wolfsburg’s second with 32 minutes gone when he got the better of a posse of defenders from a corner.
Perisic added the visitors’ third on 51 minutes after some good work in the area by Kevin de Bruyne and Caligiuri.
Arnold grabbed his second and Wolves’ fourth four minutes later when he fired home left-footed from close range after profiting from another Caligiuri pass.
Wolfsburg face Dortmund at Berlin’s Olympiastadion on May 30, with Borussia looking to give Juergen Klopp a perfect send-off with one last piece of silverware after seven successful years as coach.
Dieter Hecking’s Wolfsburg, the 2008-2009 Bundesliga champions, have never won the domestic cup, while Dortmund will be bidding for their fourth title, having reached their third final in the past four years.
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