Leverkusen Dumped Out Of German Cup By Third-division Bielefeld

Published

9 months ago

April 1, 2025

German Cup holders Bayer Leverkusen suffered a shock 2-1 elimination at Arminia Bielefeld in the semi-finals of the competition on Tuesday.

Xabi Alonso’s side were heavily favoured to reach their second successive final but were outclassed from start to finish by their underdog opponents.

Jonathan Tah’s 17th-minute goal was cancelled 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.

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 Piero Hincapie to curl the ball home.

As the half wore on, Leverkusen were unable to make their possession count, with Bielefeld fast and threatening on the counter.

The hosts once again caught Leverkusen napping to take the lead moments before halftime, Grosser hammering in a Louis Oppie free kick from close range.

Bielefeld continued to out-energise their opponents, fighting in the duels and giving Leverkusen few chances to drag themselves back into the game.

Patrick Schick, so often Leverkusen’s late hero over the past two seasons, had a chance to level the scores while unmarked after 81 minutes but hit a header against the post.

This year’s German Cup is one of the more open in recent memory, with recent champions Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt all suffering early eliminations from the competition.

On Wednesday, RB Leipzig play away at Stuttgart in the other semi-final.

Leipzig, who have won two of the past three German Cups, will be managed by interim coach Zsolt Low, who took over after Marco Rose was sacked on Sunday.

AFP

Related Topics:Bayer Leverkusen Leverkusen

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AFCON: Osimhen Sends Message To Super Eagles Fans Globally After Nigeria’s Victory Over Algeria

Published

7 minutes ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

Super Eagles forward, Victor Osimhen has shared a heartfelt message to the team’s fans around the globe following Nigeria’s 2-0 triumph against Algeria in the AFCON quarter-finals on Saturday.

Osimhen contributed to the win with a goal, while Akor Adams also found the back of the net, securing Nigeria’s progression to last-4 stage.

In a video posted on X after the match, Osimhen expressed his gratitude to Super Eagles supporters.

AFCON: Super Eagles Beat Algeria 2-0, To Play Morocco In Semi-final

Published

14 minutes ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

Nigeria have qualified for the semi-final of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The Super Eagles pulled off a stunning display to beat Algeria 2-0 in their quarter-final clash on Saturday evening, to book their spot.

Eric Chelle’s men dominated the Desert Foxes for most of the first half, but failed to find the back of the net.

The closest Nigeria came to opening the scoring, came when Calvin Bassey’s effort was cleared off the line.

But in the second half, Victor Osimhen headed in Bruno Onyemaechi’s cross, before setting up Akor Adams for the second goal.

The three-time African champions will now clash with the hosts Morocco for a place in the final.

AFCON: Nigerians React To 2-0 Against Algeria

Published

18 minutes ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

Some Nigerian football fans have reacted to Super Eagles’ 2-0 win against Algeria in the AFCON quarter-final tie on Saturday.

DAILY POST reports that goals from Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams ensured Nigeria defeated the Desert Foxes.

Reacting, some Nigerians wondered how come the Super Eagles failed to qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following their brilliant display against Algeria.

Others hailed Eric Chelle’s men for putting in a magnificent performance against the North Africans.

Here are some comments gathered by DAILY POST on X:

@WhispersAfrica5, “Massive respect to the Super Eagles! All those early morning sessions, tactical drills, and team unity have turned this squad into a beast. Beating Algeria so convincingly didn’t happen by chance, it’s pure graft and heart. On to Morocco.”

@AbrahamAsi18962, “All players deserve massive accolades. They all display magnificent performances. It has been a while I saw Nigeria played this way. Total dominance throughout.

@FemiAyo593554, “The whole of Nigeria Team.. on fire. Osayi so solid like it’s onyemeachi.. Bassey and Semi Ajayi so solid and compose. Bruno the crosser, Ndidi, Iwobi the passer, onyeka the tank . Lookman, Akor the dreadful one, Oshimen the great.. Kudos to Marhez for saying “I AM AFRAID”.

@DanielIheke, “That’s was awesome display, brilliant performance by the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Congrats.

@Panda_521, “How did this super eagles team not qualify for the world cup with players like Osimhen and co?”

@youngskidmusic_, “What a win against the second unbeaten team in the tournament. Eric Chell deserved a chilled bottle of wine. The other guy knew what he was saying when he said he was afraid of Nigeria. He said it and we did it.”

@harrysone9 “NFF cost Nigerians the joy and place in the World Cup, but thank God they got the appointment of Eric Chelle right. So far so good; the Super Eagles have been a joy to watch.
Nigeria has a better chance of winning the AFCON than Arsenal has of winning the EPL under Mikel Arteta.”

@DanielRegha, “Super Eagles need to start playing like a team that’s ready and hungry to win the tournament; Nigeria’s performance slightly improved today, but it’s still very dissapointing considering the depth of the sqaud. Step it up already.”

@___astroblvck, “How did we not qualify for the world cup?! this is a world class performance..kudos boys.”

@AFC_EMMI, “The real challengers have arrived, Morocco is next.”