Third-tier Saarbruecken stuns Frankfurt to keep dream German Cup run going. Leverkusen wins

Wed, Dec 6, 2023
Soccer News (AP)

SAARBRUECKEN, Germany (AP) - First Bayern Munich, now Eintracht Frankfurt.

Third-division Saarbruecken's dream run in the German Cup continued Wednesday with a 2-0 win over last season's cup runner-up Frankfurt for a place in the quarterfinals.

Saarbruecken had an opening goal ruled out in the 20th minute when Kai Brunker headed in at a corner but video review spotted a push by one of his teammates.

Even after that reprieve, Frankfurt struggled to get into the game and Brunker finally scored a goal that counted in the 64th when the defense left him in space.

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More poor Frankfurt defending in the 78th allowed Luca Kerber to score Saarbruecken's second goal, and things got even worse soon after for the visiting team with a straight red card for Noel Futkeu. The striker had only come off the Frankfurt bench six minutes earlier in his first-team debut but aimed a kick at an opponent with the ball nowhere near.

It's far from the first cup surprise for Saarbruecken, which knocked out German champion Bayern in the second round in October. Saarbruecken also stunned Germany by reaching the semifinals in 2019-20 despite being in the fourth tier at the time. It didn't qualify for the German Cup again until this season.

League leader Bayer Leverkusen eased to a 3-1 win over second-division Paderborn to keep its unbeaten season going. Xabi Alonso's team was left with concerns over an injury to key attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.

Victor Boniface, Exequiel Palacios and Patrik Schick all scored, while two more Leverkusen goals were ruled out for offside on video review. Sebastian Klaas scored for Paderborn.

Wirtz limped off shortly before halftime after what the team described as a "painful blow to his ankle."

Just three of the eight teams in the quarterfinals will be from the top-division Bundesliga as Leverkusen joins Borussia Moenchengladbach and either Borussia Dortmund or Stuttgart.

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