RB Leipzig defeated Freiburg 4-2 on penalties in a vibrant German Cup final on Saturday (May 22), bringing Domenico Tedesco’s side their first major trophy despite playing an hour with 10 men at Berlin’s Olympic stadium. Freiburg’s captain Christian Guenter and forward Ermedin Demirovic both missed their attempts from the penalty spot to seal a thrilling clash that had ended 1-1 after extra time.
RB Leipzig won their first major trophy, beating Freiburg on penalties to win the German Cup final after coming back from 1-0 down in normal time despite going down to 10 men.
Maximilian Eggestein's goal looked to have given Freiburg victory in normal time, with Leipzig's numbers reduced after Marcel Halstenberg’s red card. But Christopher Nkunku struck with 15 minutes remaining to bring extra time.
Freiburg’s Christian Gunter and Ermedin Demirovic both missed in the shootout.
Leipzig, who had lost in the final in 2019 and 2021, had lost a second player to a red card near the end of extra time when Kevin Kampl, who had been substituted having already picked up a yellow card, was booked again for protesting when the referee turned down a penalty appeal for his side.
Despite losing in their first cup final appearance in their 118-year history, Freiburg can take some solace from having finished sixth in the Bundesliga to qualify for the Europa League next season.
This was the first time in 11 years neither Bayern Munich nor Borussia Dortmund reached the final.
Bundesliga champions Bayern were dumped out after a 5-0 thrashing at Borussia Moenchengladbach in the second round last October.
Dortmund, who finished runners-up in Germany’s top flight, lost 2-1 at second division St Pauli in January’s third round ties.
