STUTTGART: VfB Stutt­gart battled past RB Leipzig 3-1 on Wednesday to reach the German Cup final for the first time in 12 years and pile more misery on their crisis-hit opponents.

Under the watchful eyes of Jurgen Klopp, the new head of global football for Leipzig’s owners Red Bull, the visitors were outclassed by a strong Stuttgart side.

Goals from Angelo Stiller, Nick Wolte­made and Jamie Leweling took Stuttgart to victory, putting them on track for a first German Cup triumph since 1997.

Stuttgart will play the final against third-tier club Arminia Bielefeld — who shocked holders Bayer Leve­r­kusen with a 2-1 comeback win on Tuesday — and the victory continues their rise since former Leipzig youth-team coach Sebastian Hoe­ness took over in April 2023.

“Yes we will go to Berlin,” said Hoeness. “We worked hard against a tough Leipzig team. We were rewarded for our efforts by scoring at the right times. We defended with passion and how we dealt with Leipzig’s goal for the 2-1 was outstanding. It is already now a dream to be going to Berlin. Obviously we want more now but we will talk about that in the coming days.”

The coach ended his post-match interview early before sprinting across the field to have his picture taken with the rest of the squad in front of the club’s ecstatic home fans.

Hoeness has become one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe, having led Stuttgart from relegation candidates to runners-up last season, and now the German Cup final.

Stiller gave Stuttgart the lead in the sixth minute with a volley from outside the penalty area. Woltemade made it 2-0 when he finished off a passing move in the 57th but Leipzig hit back almost immediately with a goal for Benjamin Sesko. Leweling bundled the ball over the line at a corner to seal it in the 73rd.

Leipzig tried to come back, with new coach Zsolt Low making his debut after the sacking of Marco Rose on Sunday. But he could not avoid a second straight loss after Saturday’s league defeat to Borussia Moenchengladbach.

“The disappointment is bitter. In many areas we were better than Stuttgart,” said Leipzig coach Low. “We tried to work harder in the second half.” Now we need to process this. It is a setback for us because we wanted to reach the final.”

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2025