Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup
BIELEFELD, Germany: German Cup holders Bayer Leverkusen suffered a shock 2-1 elimination at Arminia Bielefeld in the semifinals of the competition on Tuesday. Xabi Alonso’s side were heavily favored to reach their second successive final but were outclassed from start to finish by their underdog opponents. Jonathan Tah’s 17th-minute goal was canceled out by a Marius Woerl strike for the hosts three minutes later. Maximilian Grosser’s goal in first-half stoppage time would prove the difference for Bielefeld, who have now beaten four top-division opponents on their way to the final. Bielefeld, who have never made a German Cup final, became just the fourth third-division team to reach the showpiece event. Should Bielefeld win in Berlin in May — they will face either RB Leipzig or Stuttgart — the club will be rewarded with a Europa League spot next season. Home coach Michel Kniat said: “We didn’t need luck at all because we were on the front foot the whole time.” The coach said he “normally wouldn’t have a drink with the players, but tonight I’ll make an exception,” adding that “nobody will go to sleep in this city tonight.” Leverkusen’s Robert Andrich said it was “by far our worst game of the season” and added that “Bielefeld deserved the win tonight, which means we did plenty of things wrong.” Leverkusen coach Alonso came into the game having never lost in 10 matches in the competition and needed just one more victory to beat Louis van Gaal’s all-time record set as Bayern Munich manager. Everything seemed to go according to plan when Leverkusen took the lead after 17 minutes, Tah tapping in unmarked at the far post. The hosts hit back almost immediately however, Woerl taking advantage of a sloppy clearance attempt by
