BERLIN: Freiburg squeezed into the German Cup semi-finals after a 5-4 penalty shootout win at Hertha Berlin on Wednesday, following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

After a goalless 90 minutes, Yuito Suzuki finally broke the deadlock in extra time, only for Hertha captain Fabian Reese to equalise with a superb long-range strike.

Freiburg goalkeeper Florian Mueller then saved Pascal Klemens’ spot-kick in the shootout to send his side through, joining Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart in the last four.

Bayern Munich host RB Leipzig in the other quarter-final.

Hertha welcomed 2022 runners-up Freiburg to Berlin hoping to reach a German Cup final on home soil for the first time in their history.

A close offside call ruled out an early effort from Reese, while the visitors did not have a solid chance until the 70th minute, when Vincenzo Grifo’s deflected shot flew just wide.

Six minutes into extra time, Hertha’s Linus Gechter gifted Suzuki the ball with a poor back-pass, and the Japan international pounced to put the visitors in front.

Hertha hit back through Reese, who drilled in a magnificent strike from outside the area, but Freiburg ultimately had the final say in the shootout.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2026