Another top team falls victim to third-tier club in German Cup

Following two consecutive impressive triumphs against two German giants in the DFB-Pokal, Saarbrücken can no longer be described as a third-tier team.

The world was taken aback when Saarbrücken stunned Bayern Munich in the second round with a 2-1 triumph in the last minute of extra time. In a resounding 2-0 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt, who are now ranked seventh in the Bundesliga, they have done it once again.

How Saarbrücken took Bayern down

In a shocking 2-1 loss in the second round of the DFB-Pokal on November 1, Bayern Munich—the Bundesliga champion—went out of the competition. It was in the 96th minute that Marcel Gaus, a player from the third level, converted a low cross to give the home crowd a fit of frenzy.

This ruined an already terrible November evening in southwest Germany for Bayern, the record holders with 20 German Cup victories. Thomas Müller, Leroy Sané, and Joshua Kimmich were all picked to the starting lineup by manager Thomas Tuchel, who had a strong squad for the match.

Müller opened the scoring for the Bavarians with a brilliant effort from beyond the penalty area, but the team’s fortunes quickly declined after that. Near the conclusion of the first half, De Ligt exited because of an injury. Not long after, Saarbrücken equalized.

At Ludwigsparkstadion, the score remained 1-1 after Bayern lost control due to careless play in defense. Patrick Sontheimer was able to level the score after receiving many passes from Saarbrücken. Although the reigning Bundesliga champions had 18 shots and 75% possession throughout the match, they were unable to score.

The closest they came was when Coman’s thunderous drive forced a save from goalkeeper Tim Schreiber. That shot cost a fair penny. Towards the end of regulation time, Saarbrücken’s improbable game-winning goal came from substitute Tim Civeja, who broke through Bayern’s defense and passed the ball to Gaus.

Saarbrücken adds Eintracht Frankfurt to defeated teams in DFB-Pokal

Their recent 2-0 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt is proof positive. The match began with Saarbrücken stepping up their intensity. The hosts relentlessly pressed Die Adler to win corners. That led to the game’s opening goal just 17 minutes in.

Striker Kai Brünker had already begun to celebrate after scoring from a corner kick. A late video review uncovered a foul committed by teammate Mohamed Amine Naïfi. Naïfi shoved Brünker, creating an opening for Brünker to score.

Frankfurt, however, were foolish in thinking they could relax. The home team found atonement in every way in the second half. In the sixty-fourth minute, Brünker received a long goal kick. While tumbling, he smashed the ball in, beating Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.

In the 78th, Saarbrücken extended their lead. Frankfurt scrambled to almost remove the threat. Yet, it could not do enough after winning the ball back early with high pressing. After a brief interlude, Saarbrücken scored again with a looping cross. The ball ricocheted off several players before falling to Luca Kerber.

In the 82nd minute, Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller’s problems intensified. Replacement Noel Futkeu picked up a red card for a reckless kick on a defenseless opponent.

PHOTOS: IMAGO