Bielefeld stuns holder Leverkusen in Pokal upset
Arminia Bielefeld pulled off an extraordinary shock as it beat defending champion Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 to reach the DFB-Pokal final.
Bielefeld, which has now eliminated four Bundesliga teams in consecutive rounds in the competition, became the first fourth third-tier side to reach the competition's showpiece match.
Holder Leverkusen, which had never lost a DFB-Pokal match under coach Xabi Alonso, took the lead in the 17th minute through Jonathan Tah's tap-in from a corner.
Its joy lasted only three minutes, though, with Marius Woerl beating Lukas Hradecky with a low drive to draw the hosts level.
Hradecky pulled off a spectacular save in the 26th minute when he blocked Sarenren Bazee's point-blank effort but Bielefeld's comeback was complete on the stroke of half-time through a close-range volley from Maximilian Grosser.
Bielefeld could have added to its lead after the break, bur Patrick Schick hit the woodwork late on.
However, the minnows held firm to reach the final for the first time in their history. They will take on either Stuttgart or RB Leipzig in the final next month.
