Freiburg ease past Hamburg to reach German Cup final

HAMBURG, Germany: Freiburg struck three times in the first half to beat second-tier Hamburg SV 3-1 away and reach the German Cup final for the first time in their history on Tuesday.

They will face RB Leipzig or Union Berlin in the showpiece match, with the other semi-final being played on Wednesday.

Freiburg took the lead in the 11th minute through Nils Petersen after Hamburg goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes clawed away a shot by midfielder Nicolas Hoefler but did not manage to save the follow-up strike from inside the six-yard box.

The Bundesliga side doubled their lead six minutes later when Hoefler tried his luck again from the edge of the box and this time fired the ball under the crossbar after defender Sebastian Schonlau failed to block the effort.

Italian Vincenzo Grifo made it 3-0 in the 35th minute with a penalty, bringing up his 12th goal of the season with a coolly-taken spot-kick that sent Heuer Fernandes the wrong way after a foul on Nico Schlotterbeck in the area.

Hamburg pulled one back when forward Robert Glatzel finally gave the 57,000 home crowd something to cheer by nodding home in the 88th minute, leaving keeper Mark Flekken with no chance.