LEVERKUSEN: Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen twice came from a goal down and scored a 90th-minute winner through Jonathan Tah as they snatched a 3-2 victory over VfB Stuttgart on Tuesday to reach the German Cup semi-finals.

Tah was left completely unmarked to head in from close range and complete the comeback for the hosts, who face Bayern Munich in the league on Saturday, after they had twice cancelled out Stuttgart goals.

Leverkusen also maintained their unbeaten run across all competitions this season.

“Obviously this win gives us a big push, a lot of energy for the task ahead of us (on Saturday),” Tah said. “We are looking forward to it.”

Xabi Alonso’s team, whose most recent major title victory was the 1993 German Cup, are still in the mix for three titles this season, including the Europa League.

“What makes us strong is that we are focusing only on us,” Tah said. “We are not focusing on what could happen at the end of the season, and that is the we way we will keep going.”

The visitors took an 11th minute lead with Waldemar Anton’s looping header at the far post after he shook off his marker.

The hosts bounced back five minutes after the restart with Robert Andrich curling an unstoppable shot into the top corner but in the 58th he lost possession allowing Chris Fuehrich to drill in for a renewed Stuttgart lead.

Alonso sensed a first loss in 30 matches this season and brought on Amine Adli, fresh from Africa Cup of Nations duty for Morocco. The forw­ard repayed his coach’s faith, collecting a Wirtz assist and equalised three minutes after coming off the bench.

With the game set for extra-time, Germany international Wirtz floated a deep, pin-point cross for Tah to snatch the winner.

Fortuna Dusseldorf and Kaiserslautern are already through to the last four while Saarbruecken face Borussia Moenchengladbach in the remaining quarter-final.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2024