A stunning 119th-minute back-heel by Tiago Tomas on Thursday sent VfB Stuttgart to a DFB-Pokal final meeting with Bayern Munich after a 2-1 extra-time home win over SC Freiburg.
Maximilian Eggestein’s first-half opener had Freiburg on track for a second DFB-Pokal final, but Deniz Undav leveled things up with 20 minutes remaining.
Moments away from a penalty shoot-out, Tomas glanced a clever back-heel into the left-hand corner to keep Stuttgart’s title defense on track.
Photo: Reuters
“I’m done. It was a whole body fight,” Undav told Sky Germany, before praising Tomas. “119th minute, pure drama — that’s the best kind of goal you can score as a striker. That was world class.”
Freiburg took the lead with 28 minutes gone when Eggestein got a boot to a Matthias Ginter header and edged it past Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel.
Stuttgart had the ball in the net just after the hour mark when Angelo Stiller cut a shot across the face of goal and into the corner, but creator Demirovic was offside.
The hosts eventually broke through with 20 minutes remaining when Undav finished off a length-of-the-field counter to level up the scores.
Stuttgart had a flurry of chances in the final stages of the 90 minutes. Undav hit the right post and dragged another effort just wide of the left, while Freiburg goalkeeper Florian Mueller saved from Chris Fuehrich.
Freiburg had cause to complain early in extra-time when Lucas Hoeler’s goal did not count because the referee blew the whistle for a soft foul moments before, meaning it could not be reviewed by the video assistant referee.
“It was never a foul. We won, we’re satisfied. If I were the striker, I would be annoyed. Good luck for us, tough for Freiburg,” Undav said.
The match looked headed for penalties, but Tomas’ incredible display of skill in the final minute booked Stuttgart’s spot in the Berlin showpiece on May 23.
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
Italian soccer is at its lowest ebb in nearly 40 years after a wholesale European exodus at club level followed the nation’s failure for the third successive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and compounded a leadership and structural crisis. The exits suffered by Bologna and ACF Fiorentina on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League respectively meant no Italian teams are left in European competition this season. Italy’s last remaining UEFA Champions League contenders, Atalanta BC, went out in the round of 16 last month. It is the first time since the 1986-1987 campaign that Italian clubs
The Detroit Tigers’ Lee Hao-yu on Monday collected his first and second MLB hits in their 8-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox. The Tigers’ No. 6 prospect, who batted eighth, had an RBI single and a double in four at-bats at Fenway Park, raising his batting average to .182. “He was super thrilled to get his first hit,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said after the game. “There’s only one first, you know, and for him, it’s been a couple of games where he’s really been wanting to do it. I’m glad he did it here.” “Young guys settle in when they start
RSS